Creative Midlands East

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Specialists In Obscure Detail
Introducing our new Guest Blogger – Aston Fearon
Frank and Cheryl Cohen bring their modern British art collection to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire

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Posted: 20 Mar 2012 05:47 AM PDT

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Posted: 20 Mar 2012 10:18 AM PDT

Robert E. Franken, Author of Human Motivation describes creativity as:

"the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others.'

Whether we see ourselves as creatives by nature or trade, or if we work in a creative industry surrounded by and supporting creatives; how do we define creativity and why is it such a sought after trait? Many of us know that we are creative people. We have hobbies and pass-times that are in the arts like painting or writing music while others, like graphic designers, Are paid to produce original ideas for clients on a daily or weekly basis.

All in all, whether we believe we are in a creative field or not, I believe creativity is a valuable trait which can be learned- producing enormous benefits for our craft and those we serve for a living. In my role as a sound engineer and technician I have to make things work- that's a given, but if I just stopped there I'd be holding back so much more for the audiences that I cater for. It's often very comfortable to sit back and allow our quality of work to be merely functional as opposed to great or exceptional. In order to bring things from good to great we really need to pay attention to whatever it is that we have in front of us.

Analysis

As we begin to construct or execute we need to have a clear assessment of what we are working with but as creatives we often find this difficult to do. In pro audio there are many (often expensive) tools which are designed to help us analyse how things sound. Ultimately the best tools we have are our God-given ears- our senses provide us with a wealth of information. For most people this information gets transferred into emotional energy and they can only describe the way the music in question makes them feel. For someone making a living in this creative field, our blessing and our curse is that we can recognise and pinpoint small flaws accurately. We have to make changes and the only way to do that is to be able to see clearly and break down the art form that we work within.

Resolution

Its my belief that whatever we do we should develop such mastery that we continue to

make adjustments which are finer and finer- imagine Da Vinci or Monet painting with acute strokes in the final stages of their masterpiece. When we develop our sense of perception in the field that we are in then the small things will stick out to us.

Art in whatever form is a beautiful thing whether

that's music, poetry, photography or any other medium. It's a shame if that idea is left in its raw form without any thought of structure. I think we'd all agree that good art is a much more immersive and emotive experience when its curators, designers and engineers have been committed to the highest level of quality that they can possibly achieve.

We all know that famous saying about what's in the detail don't we? Well the original form of that saying was actually "God is in the detail" not so foreboding! Even when we look at nature, there is so much intricacy and order even right down to the atomic level. A small microcosm of truth that can impact how we approach our work and our craft. What may seem like small obscure details to someone else are the very things that we make it our business to seek out.

Photograhy:

About Aston:

" I am a freelance sound engineer based in Nottingham also writing my own instrumental music and working with a few artists locally.I am also an avid lover of photography and visual art, known for taking a lot of photos of my work and seeing systems and the many technical aspects of my job visibly and creatively- as opposed to purely numbers and data. As a sound engineer I walk the fine balance of being both technical and creative."

Website: www.astonfearon.co.uk

Twitter: @AstonFearon

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aston.audio

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/AstonFearon/videos

Are you interested in becoming a CreativeNottingham Guest Blogger? Here's how.

Introducing our new Guest Blogger – Aston Fearon

Posted: 20 Mar 2012 10:07 AM PDT

Creative Nottingham would like to give Aston a warm welcome who will be joining us for the next four weeks. To get to know him a little better, we've asked him eleven questions. Over to Aston..

1. Who are you?

I'm a freelance sound engineer based in Nottingham. My work includes gigs, weddings, corporate events, festivals etc…

2. What brought you to Nottingham?

I grew up here!

3. What keeps you in Nottingham?

As well as friends and family. The city is great; we have enormous creative and musical talent and so much potential. The local scene is something that's often commented on and something I think we often take for granted as residents. The city is filled with amazing venues, art galleries, and cafes. I love being able to experience it all and being in the centre of the country is pretty handy for work if I'm not working here.

4. What makes you unique to other creative people in Nottingham? (eg:- What is your business specialism? Do you have any hidden talents?)

With a hands on background in music production and studio recording, the transition to receiving freelance work for live events was a pretty natural process for me.

Sound is something that surrounds us all the time yet it is quite a specialist field. A unique skill-set and mindset is needed to do the job well; often with tight schedules, long hours and unexpected changes of plan. The role is a both a hundred percent creative and a hundred percent technical. Despite the pressures and demands I enjoy doing what I do and had the opportunity to work on some great events last year including <a href="http://www.splendourfestival.com/">Splendour</a>, Hockley Hustle, Nottingham Arboretum, The Dorchestor and Grovesnor Hotels in London and the opening of Europe's biggest shopping centre (Westfield Stratford City)

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years' time? (future business & creative plans)

Still doing what I'm doing. I would love to see loads more local Nottingham artists break through on the national scene and more exciting events taking place in the city. The aim is to look back and say: 'I was a part of that'.

6. What do you wish you had more time for?

To experience Nottingham more as a punter and a music lover. I'm also currently carving out more time for production and writing some more (<a href="http://astonantony.bandcamp.com/">instrumental music</a>.

7. What is your ultimate guilty pleasure?

Exquisite coffee!

8. What, in your eyes, breeds creativity?

Collaboration, there is so much good happening because local artists, venues and production institutions aren't afraid to share ideas and work together

I think creativity is often an overlooked trait in many in fields. For sound engineers and the places we work in, technology is always expanding to the point of doing things that 10 to 15 years ago were either impossible or just a luxury. I believe the only reason we'll continue to keep doing what we do is that we are irreplaceable. Listening and making assessments with our ears is actually very hard without prolonged training; and when most people try they find it surprisingly hard. Having the ability to effect an audience's experience of what happens on stage is where our creativity comes to the forefront and is probably the most pivotal part of our role.

9. Where in Nottingham have you found to relax and unwind?

I love to walk when I have time off, there are some amazing spots around the city. Currently my favourite is Attenborough Nature Reserve, I also love Wollaton Park- the coffee there is great too…

10. What would you like to see more of in Nottingham?

Venues and promoters in Nottingham managing to support their artists nationally like <a href="http://www.dhpgroup.co.uk/">DHP Group</a> are currently doing with <a href="http://dogisdead.co.uk/">Do Is Dead</a>.

11. What big thing (project or event) are you currently working on?

Still working with many talented people, venues, and companies.

New galleries of work can be subcribed to on facebook by clicking on the like button. My casual and voluntary work at my church (<a href="http://trentvineyard.org/">Trent Vineyard</a>)is always very fulfilling to me. If you're ever visiting, do come and say hi!

You can find out more about Aston at:

Website: www.astonfearon.co.uk

Twitter: @AstonFearon

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aston.audio

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/AstonFearon/videos

Frank and Cheryl Cohen bring their modern British art collection to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire

Posted: 19 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PDT

Paintings not seen for decades go on view at Derbyshire stately home Chatsworth as the Cohen's look back on 40 years of buying art.

Creative Midlands