Mark Himmelsbach’s Post

🎶🎸Wish you were here… I was part of the dramatic society in college, where discussing plays and short stories threadbare was our intellectual stimulation. There was something electric about those debates, the way we dissected the works of Jean-Paul Sartre and Saadat Hasan Manto. And of course, there was music to feed our brains as well—one of my favorite bands, Pink Floyd. "Wish You Were Here" was the anthem of our reflective moments, while "Another Brick in the Wall" had us singing with our lungs bursting, defying everything that felt confining or conventional. But here’s a little-known story about Pink Floyd that always stuck with me. Before they became the iconic band that still makes hearts throb with their eternal music, they were known as "The Tea Set." It wasn’t until they entered a competition that a sudden twist changed everything. Imagine the scene… A band, ready to perform, finds out another group with the exact same name is also competing. Panic? Perhaps. But what followed was a moment of pure, quick-thinking creativity. Syd Barrett, their frontman, didn’t have time to deliberate. He drew inspiration from two blues musicians he admired—Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, both masters of their craft in the genre that would later influence so many greats. Pink and Floyd were artists who lived their lives in the rhythm and blues of the American South, crafting songs that were raw, real, and deeply human. Their names, fused together in a moment of necessity, became a symbol of timeless artistry. It’s funny how a name born out of necessity can end up defining something so eternal. Pink Floyd—born from a fleeting moment, now a legend! This story always makes me wonder… What makes someone or something story-worthy? Who do we look to for inspiration when we’re forging our own paths? The truth is, few people or moments inspire the kind of remembrance that lives on, but those who do often guide us in choosing our destiny, just as Pink Anderson and Floyd Council did for Syd Barrett. So, can we become story-worthy? Can we inspire others in a way that lasts? It’s a question worth pondering. Ever had a moment like that? One that changed everything? I’d love to hear your stories. 😊 #Storytelling #Inspiration #MusicLegends

The texts and poems on CHANGING from Choral Chameleon, Inc. explore change as something that is inevitable and cyclical, to be embraced and examined in how it transforms our experiences, identities, and worldviews. #AlbumSpotlight #newmusic https://lnkd.in/e22ywbkS

Looking back at the past year feels like a rollercoaster ride. Graduating college was exciting, and getting a job felt like a big win. But then, unexpectedly, I got let go, and that shook my confidence. I've been following Ryan Estis for almost a year now, and his advice has really helped me grow. His stories and ideas make me think about how I can keep getting better every day. This post of his really hit home for me. It reminded me that it's okay to be imperfect and vulnerable when we're trying something new. Stories like John Mayer's show that taking a chance on ourselves, even when we're scared of failing, can lead to amazing things. Being open to feedback is key to improving, too. As I keep looking for jobs and working on my personal brand, I'm reminded that it's important to step out of my comfort zone and take risks. Even though the future is uncertain, I know that taking chances is how we grow. What's holding you back from taking a chance? #TakingChances #JobHunt #BuildingBrands #Growth

Of all the posts I've read thus far on Quincy Jones, this one is the most succinct and accurate.

Check out our February Round Up! "...February was absolutely packed with stellar releases from a variety of artists. Check out some of my favorites below!..." - Kya Brogdon #onlinepublication #onlinemagazine #musicindustry #magazine #februaryroundup #musicindustrynews

"Like a Rolling Stone," by Bob Dylan Seth Rogovoy on the website Forward explains why this song, released as a single on July 20, is a creative masterpiece: "It begins with the quick snap of a snare drum — a kind of shot heard round the world — followed immediately by the thump of a kick drum before the seven-piece rock band explodes with the theme that would propel the hit single “Like a Rolling Stone” toward the top of the pop charts and into the cultural stratosphere, where, after changing the notion of what a pop song could be and influencing a thousand artists to follow, the rock poet Bob Dylan would ultimately garner a Nobel Prize for literature. ... ... “'Like a Rolling Stone' was transformational, a musical and cultural phenomenon that changed everything, even inspiring the name of [Rolling Stone] magazine. Going back and listening again (and again and again) to “Like a Rolling Stone” proves to be a religious experience. The record’s power — and it is as powerful today as it was upon its release in July 1965 — is unassailable. It reminds one of how at its best rock music can equally pack an emotional and intellectual impact; indeed, five-and-a-half decades after its initial release and after hearing it hundreds if not thousands of times, live and on record, it still reduces me to tears." Creativity happens every day. If you are scrounging your next meal, maybe the answer for your life is to act creatively to find your direction home. Get some inspiration by listening to this classic at the link. https://lnkd.in/eD3eqVmM

In issue 11 of Arcade! If singers and musicians are our culture’s de facto philosophers of love, what do their sometimes headline-grabbing relationships tell us about the art of creating together. Carl Wilson explores this subject in the newest issue of Arcade. Read on: https://lnkd.in/gKS9d8U6

Thank you for the kind words Hunter Schlatterbeck and for your vulnerable and inspiring share. Your willingness to invest in you, learn, make meaningful connections, take emotional risks and lean into discomfort in an effort to grow demonstrate self-awareness and emotional intelligence well beyond your years. Those skills and mindset are coveted and going to be increasingly important as our world continues to change....so don't spend too much time thinking about the small setback. I am quite certain that was merely the set up for the breakthrough! It is also precisely why I am sharing your post and contact information with my 16,000 connections. There is a leader and organization that would be well served to engage and employ you...so keep doing the work, taking chances and having the courage to bet on you. That mindset is going to pay off for you in many ways for many years to come! #Resilience #Mindset #Talent

Is Tradition important? Traditions Matter! One of my favorite musicals is Fiddler on the Roof Traditions represent a critical piece of our culture. They help form the structure and foundation of our families and our society. They remind us that we are part of a history that defines our past, shapes who we are today and who we are likely to become. Once we ignore the meaning of our traditions, weʼre in danger of damaging the underpinning of our identity. Tradition contributes a sense of comfort and belonging. It brings families together and enables people to reconnect with friends. Tradition reinforces values such as freedom, faith, integrity, a good education, personal responsibility, a strong work ethic, and the value of being selfless. Tradition provides a forum to showcase role models and celebrate the things that really matter in life. Tradition offers a chance to say “thank you” for the contribution that someone has made. Tradition enables us to showcase the principles of our Founding Fathers, celebrate diversity, and unite as a country. Tradition serves as an avenue for creating lasting memories for our families and friends. Tradition offers an excellent context for meaningful pause and reflection. As leaders, role models, and parents, we must strive to utilize every opportunity available to us to reinforce the values and beliefs that we hold dear. The alternative to action is taking these values for granted. The result is that our beliefs will get so diluted, over time, that our way of life will become foreign to us. Itʼs like good health. You may take it for granted until you lose it. If we disregard our values, weʼll open our eyes one day and wonʼt be able to recognize “our world” anymore. The values that support the backbone of our country, our family, and our faith will have drifted for so long that the fabric of our society will be torn.

In addition to thematic ways, there are artistic ones: poetic, musical, and pictorial. Poetically, Nietzsche varies and changes his themes and their weight (primary matters become secondary and vice versa); after long ‘logical’ transitions he suddenly skips intermediate steps; he sometimes leaves themes completely unconnected in hard stops; he suddenly addresses the reader or stages dialogues and soliloquies; his tone is sometimes strongly determined, sometimes emphatically questionable, here clear, there enigmatic, etc. Musically, he alternates between different tempi and tones (factual, serious, dramatic vs. ironic, cheerful, sober), and between homophonic-harmonic and polyphonic-contrapuntal compositions of themes. All this has so far hardly been explored. Pictorially, he proceeds like the Cubists in fine art, who were soon to reach worldwide fame. Like them, he dispenses with the illusion of the one-point perspective and shows his respective object in staggered, twisted and surprisingly new compositions. In each case, an object becomes visible not as seemingly true, but rather in its richness possible perspectives. The view rich in perspectives is more complex; it offers a more differentiated and expressive picture of reality than the systematic approach limited to one view, especially when it claims to be the only true one. One can of course simplify these perspectives again by making a system out of Nietzsche’s philosophizing. But this is then the reader’s system, not Nietzsche’s. For more, check out our books on Nietzsche, available for free download from Orientations Press. #nietzsche #philosophy