YOUR QUESTION:

08/14/2019 22:03:52 Sophia

Hello Mr. Dunn,
I have found that I lose motivation when working on art projects or learning songs on instruments. Maybe I don’t have the proper inspiration? Do you ever get that way or are you just too busy on various projects to ever get in a slump like that? I find I don’t even get joy going to concerts or comic cons. Did I lose myself somewhere? Any advice? Also-is a hotdog a sandwich?
Thank sir for your time & I hope I didn’t ask anything dumb.

MY ANSWER:

This is a deep question and worth exploring. Aren’t we all dulled by excess? ; ) Close to 20 years ago I started getting worried because no music was inspiring. It was a feeling that went on longer than I was comfortable with. Maybe it was due to excessive touring. I ended up at a concert of Feldman’s “Rothko Chapel” and something about that performance turned me around. I can’t really say what it was but it took me out of my slump. I am constantly looking for inspiration. The fact that you are concerned about it means that you want to be inspired and that is key. I’m a proponent of stepping outside the box. Go see/do something you’ve never done before. Go see bands you’ve never heard of. Try a different medium. Read the autobiography of an artist you like. Talk to strangers about what motivates them. Motivation is difficult and we as a culture are quite hard on ourselves about it. Spacing out and relaxing are also valuable and I say that being the workaholic I am. The creative power of hypnagogics are not to be discounted. Make a list of 5 things you want to achieve in the next 2, 5 or 10 years and stick to it. Collaborate with another artist on a multi-media project and push each other. Try fasting. Try mushrooms.

A hot dog is definitely not a sandwich but you can put a hot dog in a sandwich. That would make a hot dog sandwich.