Today is dreary. It has been raining all day and it is cold. While I have an undoubtable love for cold weather, when it is combined with wind and sideways rain, I'm far less fond of the chill. For me, days like these are best spent inside being creative. I like to use the weather as inspiration for writing specific styles of music. For example, a day like today calls for a solemn and relaxing piece in the key of B minor.

I've come to appreciate the way that an environment can spark creativity. Whether it be for work or for play, I love to use my surroundings and the elements involved in them as inspiration. It tends to bring things out of me that I might not have created without tapping into some form of 3rd party motivation. I believe that music has the ability to adapt to its environment. In fact, I think that any form of art has that ability. Like the painter searching for inspiration by flinging colors at a blank canvas to see what it stimulates. Rainy weather tends to make me feel creatively energized, because I know that it means I'll probably end up making something pretty cool by the end of the day. It seems cliche, but to me, weather like this calls for darker, more abstract music. You wouldn't catch me listening to teen pop on a day like today. No, it'd be something far more sincere and heartfelt... like The National, or Pianos Become The Teeth. I personally love minor music and the dissonance often associated with it. When the weather sucks, that's usually the type of piece that comes out of me. I've come to find that inspiration is everywhere for the creator; especially in the weather.

CH