The Language of Lighting
After 22 years in the lighting game, I have learned a thing or two about how to talk to people. I have learned that communication… Read More »The Language of Lighting
The Show Before the Show
“A stunning first impression was not the same thing as love at first sight. But surely it was an invitation to consider the matter.” —Lois… Read More »The Show Before the Show
Why We Do What We Do
The power of inclusivity is strong within the theater world. The tie-line that bonds us together cannot be broken by color, race, religion, region or… Read More »Why We Do What We Do
Growing Glowing Relationships
Relationships rely on loyalty, communication and constant effort. That is why I maintain an unwavering relationship with Benjamin Franklin. When I nurture my relationship with… Read More »Growing Glowing Relationships
Say ‘Yes’ to the Mess
Life is messy. We can clean it up over and over and over again, but it will return to its messy state without any interference… Read More »Say ‘Yes’ to the Mess
Respect Your Intuition
Let your intuition lead, and your intellect will follow. In a recent study that I Googled for this introduction, car buyers who had chosen their… Read More »Respect Your Intuition
The Story of Jack Genner and Suzy Ciffic
I have two suppositious friends in this business. They are Jack Genner and Suzy Ciffic. I respect both of them equally for their exemplary work ethic. They are both able to hold down a family life and great jobs. They are both educated and easy to get along with. Their stories have been spread through the cement floors of our industry in many ways. Both Jack and Suzy have chosen separate and distinct paths to their own comfort level in our fine industry. I would like to take time to tell you both of their stories in an effort to let you decide which path you most identify with.
Just Wing It!
Unorganized productions are the body of the chicken flailing around after the head has been chopped off. They are, pun intended, “just wingin’ it.” Organization is the guard dog that keeps the feathery artistic minds of our field contained in the coop of progress….Since I have started working on high profile gigs, I have become complacent. I have started to take daily schedules for granted. They come in my email; I glance at the lighting lobby call time and then discard them as if no one put any serious time and effort into producing them. After my most recent gig, I will never take another schedule for granted.
Arrgh Ye Prepared for the Pirate Invasion?
Shiver me timbers! All of these pirated products are driving me to the end of me plank! Walking through New York City a few days ago, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of designer handbags for sale on the street. Why would anyone go into a boutique store and pay 15 times the price when they could just get the “same” product from the head-to-toe denim-wearing, shady-looking, amateur salesman with the white Reeboks selling Coach handbags on the street corner from the milk carton above his ratty blanket?
The Subtle Art of Self-Promotion
Tooting your own horn in public can be very successful, as long as you toot properly. I have had to toot my own horn to get where I am today. Learning how to walk the line between blasting a trumpet from the rooftop and noodling on a kazoo can be tricky. The world of self-promotion can be a real entanglement for the corporate artist type.
Lighting Inside the Lines
Creating art while working inside client-imposed limitations can be more difficult than coloring inside the lines of an M.C. Escher painting. Constraints would seem like the last thing you’d want or need while embarking on a creative project, but they’re actually beneficial when it comes to doing beautiful work. We all know what it’s like to be paralyzed by a mountain of insurmountable options and opportunities. Restrictions take away some of the choices available to us, and with them, the fear of making the wrong choice. Working within the confines of artist restrictions can be taxing, but with these few ideas, I hope to make it minimally more palatable.
Thank You for Using Restraint
Sometimes, it’s the things that you don’t do that make all the difference.
I recently attended a show that was painful to watch and more difficult to experience. I couldn’t see the artists for half the show because the upstage wall was built with a tractor-trailer’s worth of LED strobes that were aimed at my face. No matter where I went in the audience, they seemed to track my eyeballs and flash open white on every downbeat.