Inspired
Listening to School of Seven Bells (Windstorm)
Directly to the left: Behold! My Symbol. I’m more like Prince now than ever before. Dig if you will the Symbol. I arrived at this symbol through the compression and re-working of the phrase “Life in balance” which is a motto of sorts for me. I can hear you all clamoring to know more more MORE about how I found out about this symbol-making creative process. Wait no longer, fair reader(s). Read on. It’s a pretty amazing story.
Because life takes one on unexpected and (largely due to the unexpected-ness) magical adventures, I spent Saturday night enraptured by the NYC skyline as viewed from the roof deck of a Long Island City high rise. And because life sometimes figures one could use a little push in the right direction, I met someone on that roof deck who shifted my trajectory at a time when nothing else was or could. And finally, because life, every once in a while, deems one worthy of an indulgence the likes of which one would never think was possible, that trajectory shifter just happened to be the main #1 guy in one of my favorite bands.
Let me set the scene:Saturday was the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. H_ and I were to attend, to witness the debauchery first-hand, and possibly get a glimpse of this year’s King Neptune, Lou Reed. H_ had done some reconnaissance among her friends who had attended the parade in the past, and had the full report.
Salient points:
1. Drunk, possibly naked people – about 500,000 of them
2. Chances of being vomited on by one or more of them about 45-60%
3. No bathrooms
4. Lou Reed as King Neptune!
5. We’d be able to say we’d been to the Mermaid Parade
After weighing the pros and cons of each, we decided to take a pass. All things considered, we figured it was going to be an overall uncomfortable experience. Instead, we opted for the New York Botanical Gardens (naturally).
We spent a lovely, lovely day surrounded by gorgeous, soulful old trees, beautiful flowers, a blue sky and bird song. In stark contrast to our Plan A of the Mermaid Parade, we were showered with flower petals instead of beer vomit. I used the clean, well-stocked bathrooms at the Garden way more than was necessary just because I could, as opposed to having to hold it until I went into kidney failure as I would have with Plan A. We got to meet and speak at length to Jamie, the head of the children’s program at the Botanical Garden, instead of the mere potential of a passing glimpse of the King of All Things Cool Lou Reed (ok, I’ll admit I can’t sell that one). The perfect day.
We decide to cap off our day of communing with nature by watching the sun set over Manhattan from one of the comfy Adirondack chairs along the East River on the Queens side. H_ then gets the brainstorm of all brainstorms and gets us invited to her friend’s apartment, in a high rise overlooking the river and the skyline. This friend just happens to be having a rooftop party.
So there we are, sipping a wine of the white genre, watching the sun set over Manhattan, chatting with this friend’s friends and having an extremely pleasant time. I meander over to the group to whom H_ is talking, get introduced around, and immediately notice what looks like a really cool tattoo peeking out of the top of one of the guys’ shirts. He shows it to us – it’s a symbol which he explains is the reduction of the title of his latest album, Disconnect from Desire. He explains the whole process of reducing it, and how he came up with the symbol.
I was transfixed, completely. The concept revved me up like nothing has in months. I knew this is exactly what I needed to do, to get myself motivated to complete my website for my holistic business. My heart was actually racing with anticipation of getting home and making my symbol.
After peppering Tattoo Guy with a million more questions about the process, the conversation turned to other matters and people for a while. The guy to my right has a music label which we talked about. I asked Tattoo Guy if he was on this guy’s label and Label Guy said, “Nah he’s got his own.” I then remember that Tattoo Guy had alluded to being a musician. “What’s the name of your band?” I ask. “School of Seven Bells,” he replies.
My ultra-cool response? “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” I think I may have jumped up and down a bit. I may have squealed. It’s all a blur. I get slightly fan-girl – let’s leave it at that. I settle down quickly, though, and we all resume our conversation. For whatever reason, I think it was the magic of that skyline and the day spent wrapped in Nature, I was completely grounded again within a minute, and able to function as if one of the guys I was talking to was any old guy NOT IN ONE OF MY FAVORITE BANDS.
A little later Tattoo Guy (who’s name is Benjamin Curtis, btw) and I had a pretty much deep, philosophical conversation about the nature of the creative process. I shared with him that I struggle every day with how to release this creative pressure lodged behind my heart chakra (incidently, where he had his symbol tattooed on himself). He told me a bit about himself, how it works for him. It was a really cool, lengthy conversation. Kind of like two people who hadn’t just met. Again, I think it was that magical skyline.
And I can’t stop smiling about the whole thing. I love my symbol, and I feel so much lighter now that it’s out of me and out in the world. It’s going to be the logo for my holistic business, and the cornerstone of my website design. Thank you, Tattoo Guy (AKA Benjamin). Our paths crossed at just the right time. What a gift, and on so many levels. The Universe could have sent anyone to give me this nudge, but it sent Benjamin Curtis. Wow.
Incidently, School of Seven Bells first album, Alpinisms, is really good. They have another one coming out any minute now, called, you guessed it - Disconnect From Desire. I’ve heard a coupla tracks off it, and it sounds yummy. Go forth, and procure!
