The Formula for Catchiness

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A(H) x P + M = C

Art multiplied by its Hypnotic elements plus the multiplied effect of Promotion and Marketing equals its Catchiness.

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Catchiness is a term that denotes a kind of attraction, emotional adhesive, or a way of binding two or more things via aesthetics. In the case of art and its catchiness, the artist is trying to catch the attention of the audience and bind the mind and emotions of the audience member together with a creative product.

In the formula above, art should be thought of as a creative idea, concept, design, or product. The human mind is the source of creativity and clearly differentiates us from other living beings.

Hypnotic elements refers to those items or qualities that an artist imbues their work with that is attention grabbing, technically superior, important, urgent, or emotionally meaningful. The dynamic components of each field of art construction mainly comprises its hypnotic elements, so it is an understanding and mastery of those elements that the artist must gain in order to produce effective emotional experiences in the mind of the audience member.

Once the artist has completed his creative work by carrying it from concept to construction, he must then start the process of making it known. This is what is referred to by promotion and marketing, the activity of communicating what one has to offer or what one has made available for sale. The business side of creative work is one of the most neglected aspects of the artist lifestyle, yet it is by far the most important. If one has the desire to make one’s living as an artist, then one has to know how to promote and market his work.

All together these 3 factors form the “catchiness” of art. Of all these factors the most difficult to learn is promotion and marketing because it is in itself the art of selling, which is how an artist makes money. The other 2 factors are the prime activities that define the artist, developing creative ideas and making them attractive to others.

One can visualize the artist as a fisherman with his artwork thrown out into the ocean as bait and the audience as a school of fish swimming aimlessly. Once the fish see the bait floating freely, they all move in unison toward it, and that’s how they are caught in the net and pulled aboard the fishing vessel. The net is a good symbol of the power of promotion and marketing to reel in fish.

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Marc

http://stereothesis.com/

 

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Emotional Time and Space Grid

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The nature of all emotion is as a smooth progression of one emotion leading to another by increases or decreases in volume or intensity. More or less of one emotion leads you into the next nearby emotion above or below it.

In general, everyday experience carries us through an ebb and flow of emotions within a limited range. But under those rare circumstances, human emotion gets rattled by an intense personal experience that changes the smooth ebbing and flowing and turns it into a jagged, tumultuous mental environment.

This is what makes art, in all its forms, a focal point in all cultures because it expands the normal range of our emotional experiences through our perceptions. If the art possesses just the right formula it disturbs the landscape of consciousness and activates the mind’s scanners.

As these scanners detect the source of disturbance and focus on it, attention begins to pool and collect in that area and reverberates. Attention pours into that starting point and will rise into a stretched wave, suspended across time, as the mind continues receiving a constant stream of information. The wave rises and falls as the signal increases and decreases in intensity or volume.

 Art expressed with a narrow range of dynamic components translates into emotions expressed within a narrow band of feeling. To expand feeling one has to expand the range of dynamic elements to approach the analogue quality of human emotions. Once the force of an artwork has captured the attention of the mind it is brought to the emotional time and space grid.

The time and space of an emotion is a precise convergence of factors that align in such a way so as to produce a series of perceptions similar in tone as the emotion in question. Art brings creative work to this point when the convergence of factors impacts the mind with sufficient force to call forth or evoke a particular emotion or emotional experience.

Try to imagine that the mind is a grid spread out as a single plane. It’s this plane that stands between the senses along with the outside world and our memories and subconscious. So what happens is that as the senses flow in perceptions they are sent through this grid and sorted by some kind of signal recognition relay switch into which sets of perceptions get put in the appropriate slots of emotion so as to access certain recent memories or memories from a long forgotten past.

All memories can be accessed by a unique blueprint of emotion. One might be able to describe such a blueprint by percentages such as 20% “anger,” 50% “disgust,” and 15% “fear.” Even groups of memories tend to cluster around emotional blueprints with specific characteristics in such a compact manner that they sometimes produce mass, which a person registers as a kind of heaviness in the mind. The more mass is built around such a cluster, the more we feel as if the emotional floodgates will weaken and break to overwhelm us in a tsunami of emotion.

The emotional time and space grid is similar to a coordinate system drawn on a globe or map, where art impacts the senses and targets the emotions in a particular way to cause a reaction unique to each individual. The action that produces this experience occurs automatically, but is programmed by the individual or with the individual’s consent by another. Each emotion has an exact “location” in our mental world.

The strength of the artist lies in their ability to master the techniques in their field and use them to produce emotional experiences in the minds of their audience. The power of art is in its ability to target one of these locations in the mind specifically to “turn on” the emotions in that area and to bring back the memories associated with that particular emotional blueprint. The emotions come first to affect a physiological response, then the memories cluster into a mass. Ineffective works of art typically produce a very mild but unregistered response. Successful works of art operate to either bring in more mass or sustain the existing mass. This is what elevates the perception of art into an emotional experience for the individual.

Science has yet to be able to establish the exact coordinates to any one of the emotion within the universe of our minds. So for now the only techniques that are available to evoke the emotions exist within those studies that range the field of aesthetics. All fields of creative work from architecture to cosmetology inherently possess the ability to impact the emotional time and space of an individual.  

Smooth lines, slopes, and treacherous mountain ranges comprise the terrain of the mind when the emotions are activated, so one needs a map with accurate details to navigate its environment. Art is the stimuli, our memories are the map and the dynamic components of each art form are the instruments for navigating the emotional landscape in our minds.

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Automaton


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Marc

http://stereothesis.com/

 

 

 

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Intensity of Emotion in Art

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The intensity of emotion is best expressed by using the dynamic methods of an art form. Every creative subject has its own formalized approaches for dynamic usage, but in general dynamics are tools we can use as options for increasing or decreasing the amount of emotion flowing between artist and audience.

Because the flow of emotion is a bi-directional adjustments occur in two locations: within the artist's and within the audience's mind. In both of these locations you'll find points in which there is an emotional impact and a feedback signal. Both of these effects change by manipulating the types of emotions in question with their artistic dynamic equivalents.

The emotional impact of a dynamic component in art also occurs in two ways: suddenly and gradually.

In some instances, a sudden impact will manifest as a punch or direct influence with no subtlety about it and in others it will occur as a harmonious and seamless emergence within a work of art. In contrast, a gradual emotional impact will usually seem to come from a far distance or an unexpected angle by slowly drawing an increasing amount of the audience's attention to it for a pleasing surprise.

Using dynamics as a diagnostic tool is a way of testing, measuring, and adjusting the intensity of emotion in an art form.

Gradual change or a sudden impact basically comprise all types of dynamic categories, but it's the combination, structure and timing of each of these elements that alter the distribution of emotional intensity in creative work.

By pushing some dynamic factors to extremes and reducing others to levels where you'd hardly notice their presence, you begin to get a feel for how each factor will interact with every other factor you're using.

Here are a few dynamic components that an artist must control in any of his creative works that give him the power to alter the intensity of emotion as well as the emotional impact that is their product.

Color

Texture

Volume

Depth

Balance

Timing

Tone

Grammar

Velocity

Style

Flavor

Harmony

Shape

Size

Height

Melody

Line

Whatever approach an artist uses to generate a new and unique work, it is very important that the work expresses a clear statement and definite idea that is truly the artist's creative vision. A simple concept, short phrase, ingredient list, color scheme, or dramatic theme are all great places to start.

From this point on it's easy to begin testing different dynamic components to determine the results of each experiment. Note taking can be extremely helpful and invaluable during this part of the process so as to trace your line of progress.

The process will soon accelerate and bring you even closer to the end product. Each line of progress will reveal some new element, an interesting combination of factors, or an unusual result that can be re-created and explored at a later time.

One of the most important keys to forming successful pieces of art is by illustrating in its structure how the result developed or grew. The combination of elements should form a harmony or balance of factors that seem like they couldn't have existed apart from each other or that they somehow always belonged together.

Now, because the artist's mind is the site in which such discoveries occur, it's only proper that all credits and proceeds should flow directly to the individuals that made such discoveries possible.

Ultimately, the goal of experimenting with various dynamic elements is to make discoveries through unexpected surprises, marvelous accidents, or clever feats of chance that couldn't have been planned in advance. This is the realm of game-changing artistic products, which are truly ground-breaking, and that usher in "the new" and sets trends.  

Every artistic idea possesses a little piece of the artist himself and becomes imbued with part of their life energy. This is part of the alchemy of creative work, where the artist extends himself into the work of art and the piece begins to take on a life of its own.

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Marc

http://stereothesis.com/




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Composing the Sound of Diamonds

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After millions of years buried in rock, formed by pressure and heat, the diamond emerges as one of the world’s most precious gems. Whether found beneath the earth’s surface in oceanic and continental plates or brought to the earth from outer space, the diamond is brought within man’s reach for his enjoyment and benefit.

Within the earth, the diamond moves beneath the earth’s surface by volcanic eruptions  that cool into igneous rocks. On the earth, glacial deposits sometimes provide enough pressure to give birth to diamonds of varying qualities.

Interstellar sources of diamond formation include the intense heat found at the site of a meteoric strike. Asteroids colliding with the ground can also cause intense heat that forms micro- and Nano-diamonds. It is even believed that white dwarf stars have a core of primitive diamond.

The diamond is renowned for its hardness and thermal conductivity. This is what makes it so important to industry because it can be used to cut and polish tools used in scientific applications. The Greek word for diamond actually means “unbreakable.”

No matter how lovely each stone can be they are all evaluated according to 4 standards – carat, cut, color, and clarity. A large, flawless diamond is known as a paragon.

The cubic arrangement of the atoms within the diamond has many facets. This contributes to its density and hardness. Among all gems it is the hardest known natural material where hardness is defined as resistant to scratching.

Similarly, Man after thousands and perhaps even millions of years has been shaped by his collective experience on earth and armed with his gift of reason he is able to create tools with which to extract essential resources from the earth.

The pick-axe replaces the human hand and the machine substitutes for strength as the power of the human mind shapes metal into an object that tears rock apart. Mountains and valleys are torn asunder by the inventiveness of the human imagination to expose the valuable resources within the earth.

Minerals, metals, and stones of numerous color and qualities come into the possession of man’s economic activity to fuel the circulation of money. By far, diamonds are one of the most expensive and desirable items that come from the earth and allow certain transactions to occur.

“Blood” diamonds facilitate transactions between two or more criminal entities, while man weds woman with a set of vows represented in the carefully crafted engagement ring. In both cases, the diamond commits buyer to seller.

Every idea presented here has been carefully considered in the formation of “Diamonds” by Stereo Thesis. The purest diamonds tend to be colorless stones like the piece “Diamonds,” which represents the sound of diamonds in a singular light. Listen to “Diamonds” and imagine the weight of the stone in your hand, how they shimmer in the presence of light, and the smoothness of their cut when seen under a looking glass.

To listen to “Diamonds” by Stereo Thesis, click here.

Marc

http://stereothesis.com/

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Artistic Decisions and the Flow of Energy

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Indecision

Indecision stops the flow of creative energy and prevents an artist’s vision from taking shape. It bloats us with low-order ideas and points us in numerous unproductive directions.

Fear causes indecision and paralyzes us from moving forward. It prevents us from committing to specific ideas and making efforts in certain directions.

The creative clog in our minds caused by indecision and fear eventually overflows and becomes a dispersal of creative thought that wastes good ideas and motivations in solid artistic directions.

Challenging artistic creations that have a daring edge to them can sometimes shock us and cause us to hesitate from bringing them to completion. Fear of transmitting this shocking effect to others and the way we imagine their resultant opinions about our new ideas and best work is another form of artistic indecision we can refer to as social indecision – the fear of hurting or offending others with ideas, manners, or through the violation of a societal norm.

Decision

Decision opens our mental valves to allow the flow of creativity to fill our works of art. To maintain a steady flow of creative energy you’ll have to constantly be making decisions that will help you progress through each project.

Little decisions can be made almost instantaneously, while big decisions will have to be carefully formed over a period of time. For the sake of actually achieving your artistic vision, postponing the project may be a valid option to prevent a big decision from being made hastily since this can bring everything to ruin.

In music, decisions must be made regarding the shape of a melodic line, the number of instruments to be used, and the arrangement of the parts. In cooking, the decisions will focus on the type of ingredients, their proportions, and the visual presentation. In illustration, the colors, type of paper, and subject will have to be decided upon before and during the entire process until the project is complete.

Openness of Mind

A cloud of unknowing can be filled with innumerable factors related to the realization of our artistic vision, such as doubt and fear, which can prevent a decision from getting made. This is why a Zen-like attitude about creative work must be cultivated in every one of us, so as to keep our artistic energy in a constant state of flow.

Living itself can have an artistic quality to it if the person doing it approaches life with a signature style and of what is natural to them as an individual.

With an openness of mind that doesn’t attempt to regulate the flow of artistic energy, it becomes easier to assess all the factors which must be considered for addition to or removal from any one of our works.

A mindset that doesn’t take into account the critical opinions of others finds that it is much smoother to sift through the elements of a piece so that they coalesce naturally into the artistic structure we were seeking.

The more the decision-making process takes on the characteristic of a smooth flowing stream of artistic expression unregulated by social conventions, the doubt and fear will dissipate and the power of choice will operate naturally and with ease.

The speed of artistic creation will accelerate and bring you quickly to the completion of every project. The fulfillment of your creative vision will simply flow and always be readily available.

So when the final pieces of a creative puzzle fall into place, and what was once a cloud of uncertainty circling you solidifies into a tangible product, the flow of living energy from you will slow and once again return to a restful state. From this point of rest you will be free to refresh yourself in other activities or begin again to follow the course of new art work.

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Marc

http://stereothesis.com/

Remember to join our mailing list.



To support Stereo Thesis with a financial donation securely through PayPal, click here.