Explorations on the creative mind and the products that come from within - as thought by a writer/playwright/actor Lee Mueller. Lee shares insights and stories related to his years in the field of performing arts: as an actor, improv comedian, writer, and playwright.
An abstract concept. Thinking outside the frame. Or what happens when you've watched too many new-wave French films and then go out to make a vlog? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lee-mueller6/message
Sometimes we think too much and need to purge the cache - clear your mind. I have a tip on how you can do this. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lee-mueller6/message
Good musicians can teach other artists a thing or two. Some musicians can play a massive amount of notes very quickly but it's how they put them together and the order that is the beauty. The melody they create. The same philosophy applies to writers, painters, and other artists. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lee-mueller6/message
Many artists and creative types send their work out into the world and it is met with silence. It is acceptable to let us know what you think! Did you like the song? The Poem? The Story? The Film? The Painting? The Play? Please let the artist know. Good, bad, or indifferent. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lee-mueller6/message
Some writers have an issue writing dialogue. There are methods to use that are very simple. Your mind is essentially a tape recorder and all you need to do is hit play! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lee-mueller6/message
All creators and Artists have to lose control of what it is they create. How hard or easy can that be? At the same time, anyone who views art is allowed to control what they think of it. Will they get it? Will the band cover the song correctly? Will the actors understand the play they are doing? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lee-mueller6/message
Some people are perfectly comfortable finding their niche, their place in life and staying there. Others can display a talent for a particular endeavor and be stuck in a hole they can never get out of. Some creative types never settle for one particular area of creativity and drift from ability to ability because the spirit moves them. I began at an early age loving art: wanting to draw and paint. And then I fell in love with the performing arts and film production. And then I was an actor. And then I wrote for a Music newspaper. And then I was in a comedy group. And then I wrote plays. How did I avoid the Pigeonhole? I'm not sure. But I will share my thoughts on it. The Visual -You Tube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
In a previous episode I recommended some films from France, Japan, Germany, and Italy that displayed a new take on storytelling and filmmaking. This time I recommend some American Films that do the same. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
In a previous episode I recommended some films from France, Japan, Germany, and Italy that displayed a new take on storytelling and filmmaking. This time I recommend some American Films that do the same. Full video on Spotify or Youtube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
In the previous episode I mentioned some Foreign films that were worth checking out. In this video version - I expand the topic and make a few recommendations. Films by Fellini, Godard, Kurosawa and Herzog. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
A few stories for you to open up your little gray cells to all that is possible out there. First is the story of Keith Jarrett and the Koln Concert - how he was able to overcome some large problems to make everything work and create his best-selling live album when he wasn't sure he could get through the concert. Next, learn how keeping an open mind can help you grow as a creative person and heck - even as a decent human on this planet Earth. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
Sometimes creativity is found by reversing the way you do or look at things. Try approaching something you are very familiar with - the way you write, paint, or any creative endeavor and start at a different point. It can help you see it in a new way. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
Many fields of creative art from writing to acting have some ground rules you should abide by but... how many of these rules are just someone's own preference or taste. What rules can you ignore and what rules can you follow. I wrote a book many years ago called Basic On Stage Survival Guide For Amateur Actors that contains Rules For Stage Actors. Someone contacted me and asked if these rules could be broken? Would there ever be a circumstance where you had to ignore a rule? The answer is YES. I had to do it one time. One of the biggest rules actors should follow I had to break during a performance. Why? What was the Rule? Well, listen and I will tell you all about it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
I took some time off to do something creative. I wrote a book. How did I go about the process? I will tell you the story. Not the short story but the story about the short stories. Yes, that. The book is called Idle Essence: Tales Of Marvin a collection of short stories --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
I spoke with my lovely and charming granddaughter about her love of all things sports; specifically Volleyball. From kindergarten through the sixth grade she has been part of a team in some form or another. How does sports teamwork translate into everyday life? Can you take the skills you learn on the Volleyball court or softball diamond and apply them to normal social situations? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
In the past, I explained the road that lead me to become a playwright, but I didn't explain the steps that I climbed before that happened. These are some very easy steps to follow that anyone can use to achieve a goal in life. Whether you want to be an actor, a dancer, a filmmaker, a writer - you name it. Follow me. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
Sometimes a moment of revelation (or an Ephihany) can manifest in unusual places. While taking a hike through the Autumn woods I had a thought I needed to record - fortunately I had my phone and was able to capture my thought as it related to Creative Thinking --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
S2E4 One creed many writers live by is the rule: Show, Don't Tell. What does that mean? How does that work? What is an example or two? How can I convey the information I want my audience to know without making it sound silly? Do I need to Show or Tell them everything? Could I introduce elements that have nothing to do with my story? Can I withhold information? Has anyone ever done that? Let's find out! Help Support this Podcast! Click Here --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
S2 E3 There are some of us who dream of going into the arts and becoming an actor, a writer, a poet, a dancer, a painter, a musician, or a combination of fields. Going into the arts isn't the most respectable profession as some would have you believe - but if you have a strong passion, there are ways to accomplish your dreams. In this episode, your host Lee Mueller will talk with someone who made it happen and how he did it. Can you balance a normal job with an artistic job? We will find out. Allen Admire & Pat Finn Improv Ability Improv For Business Podcast A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon Help Support this Podcast! Click Here --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
S2 E2 As an example of creativity - sometimes in telling a story you need the audience to know some information: who is this guy? Why did that happen? Was is this person acting that way? - and as a creative storyteller, you need a smooth natural way to convey information to your audience/reader/viewer without sounding too corny. Your host Lee Mueller explores some methods you can use to help the story and your own creativity flow. Jean Luc-Godard's Breathless A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon Help Support this Podcast! Click Here --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
Season 2 Ep 1. Should you keep using what works for everyone else or perhaps change it up a bit? Go with the formula or create your own? Should you just look at the world as it is or maybe seek the details and find a difference? A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon Help Support this Podcast! Click Here --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/support
My approach to writing plays was formed in my years as an improvisational performer. As long as I had the setting and my: A to B to C, I could just free-from the story without planning it all out in advance. Let the play unfold in front of me the same way it does in front of the audience. I would employ the "yes and" method I knew from improv and use the "and then what happens?" mindset to move everything forward. These techniques also can be used in everyday life to adapt to any situation. I will tell you how. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
Exploring the world of reviews versus criticism. How personal preferences should not play a role in reviews or criticism. But oddly, how using opinions and criticisms can make your mind creative. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
In this day and age, it's just as easy to show someone pictures or a phone video of something that happened than it is to tell them all about it. But I grew up with Grandparents who told me stories about people they knew and things that happened to them - they did not have pictures - they had words. It didn't matter if the stories were true, they were fun to hear. Same with Ghost Stories - to me the stories are scarier in my imagination than to see video evidence. I have a few ghost tales for Halloween. True. No Pics though. Here is a Ghost Story I wrote called To Wake The Dead A Play about a ghost attending his own Funeral to solve his murder. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
I learned of someone objecting to a theatre group doing one of my "Murder Mystery Comedy Plays" and had to consider their viewpoint for a moment. Murder is not a subject that should be funny, not at all, but writers have been getting away with the subject for a long time. How do they do it? How can you spin a topic such as "death" in such a way that an audience will not be depressed by it but instead laugh and have fun. Is it possible? Well, it must be. Let's lift the hood on this topic and take a look inside. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
In my years of theatre, I have worked with some actors who had strange habits. Odd idiosyncrasies that made their performance awkward to watch. Why did they do it? Where did they learn it? Why did no one say something? Several references are shared from the book The Basic On Stage Survival Guide For Amateur Actors --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
I had a few people ask me questions about how the conditions of 2020 are affecting some artists: actors, muscians, playwrights et al.. and what are we doing to cope? Well I have a few thoughts. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
It has been my experience in the world of theatre that a debate will come up that questions the truth about actors and acting. I have my own truth that I rely upon and I'm sure many have their own truths. Is there only one? Is it a lie? Or is acting simply lying to an audience? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
I've been many years working in sketch comedy groups and writing comedy plays. Why do certain jokes work and others do not? Could it be the way they are written or could it be the person telling them? What is funny and why do we laugh? Is timing at all important? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
In the last episode I tackled the question, "if I always wanted to be a playwright?" In this episode, I talk about HOW I became one. Hint: I did not decide one day that it would be my calling. It all just happened. I went from acting on stage in High School, College and on the stage in an improvisational comedy sketch group. How it all prepared my to write my first play. Eventually creating Play-dead.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
I may not have started out in life wanting to write plays, but I certainly liked to spin some yarns. Stories, that is. Not yarn, as in sweaters and such. Anyway, I am fairly sure that growing up as an only child fueled my imagination. And when I became an adult, I did not put away childish things. I acted in plays and eventually went on to write plays, eventually created Play-Dead.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
Audio is taken from a video - not the best) How distinct elements of ideas all blended together to fill out the idea I had for a play called "Dead Air". This is the evolution of the script I wrote many years ago. It should be noted that writers come up with ideas in all sorts of ways. This is only an example of how this idea fermented in my mind. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
Sometimes a great new idea may just be an old one we don't recognize. How many creative people reuse what has been done before. Once you become familiar with the cliches in books, movies, TV, etc.. - the challenge is to rework them into something which appears original. And that leads to becoming creative. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
When you create, you need to know how to do it. And you need an idea. When I started out as a novice writer, I asked a lot of questions and read a lot of books. I wanted to know if I was doing it right. This episode explores the methods, the early stages of the creative process, and some questions writers may wonder—such as what is the best time of day to write? What should you use? Pencil? Computer? And where do you get your ideas? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lee-mueller6/message
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