ARRR you ready for a musical adventure?

Following last year's exciting Grammy nomination, The Creativity Institute’s own "The Banana Plant" recording label has just released our second children’s album, “Treasure Swamp – A Pop Opera.”

"Treasure Swamp - A Pop Opera" is a very different kind of children's album. If you're familiar with Disney musicals, you'll appreciate the style of "Treasure Swamp.” It’s a family musical adventure told through 22 fully-produced, original songs. "Treasure Swamp" tells the story of a pirate invading a swamp looking for treasure, which rallies the swamp animals to join together to defend their homeland against him. The music of “Treasure Swamp” ranges from the hard rock of the Pirate to the R&B ballads sung by love-struck possums. It also include Cajun, gospel, jazz, blues, and even a tango. The entire story is told in song, with a female chorus of frogs explaining the action. All the characters sing, so there’s a rich variety of character voices, like a gravelly-voiced gator, a squeaky woodpecker and an old, wise owl who sounds a bit like Julia Child.

 At the heart of the “Treasure Swamp” story is a message about appreciating the real treasures in life. The plot was constructed so no one has to die during the struggle with the pirate, illustrating conflict resolution in a kid-friendly way.

You can hear clips of all the songs at this link: http://www.creativityinstitute.com/The-Banana-Plant-Treasure-Swamp-A-Pop-Opera-Kids-Music-CD.aspx

A fun way to get an overview of the album is this 2-minute video "trailer": http://www.thebananaplant.com/video.html

 We’ve also put together a 21-piece puppet cast that can perform the musical over the album soundtrack, here: http://www.creativityinstitute.com/Treasure-Swamp-Puppet-Set-and-CD-Soundtrack.aspx

 Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

Life Experiences

I wrote last time that Sid and I had been nominated for a Grammy for our own children’s album, GulfAlive. Well, we went to L.A. for the Grammys and the adventure was everything we’d hoped for and more. No, we didn’t win, but we certainly felt like winners. We stayed at an elegant and historic L.A. hotel, attended three different awards ceremonies, walked the red carpet (throwing Mardi Gras beads to the paparazzi), went to a couple of fancy parties, drank lots of champagne, and, best of all, met some incredibly creative people.

While the big, televised Grammy ceremony was incredible, possibly the most impactful one for us was the Special Merit Awards Ceremony, held the day before the Grammy broadcast. It’s not only the day we received our Bronze nominee medals made by Tiffany’s, but also the most intimate day in terms of meeting people.

We sat about six rows from the stage and watched as lifetime achievement, technical and trustee awards were handed out to very deserving recipients. Glen Campbell accepted his with the help of his wife. And while his Alzheimer’s was clear to see, so was his unflagging sense of humor.

Later that evening, at the after-party, I found myself next to him at one point. I took his hand and just said “thank you for everything.” I’ll treasure that little space in time spent with the Wichita Lineman.

A host of other legends were recognized that evening, including George Jones, New Orleans’ own Dave Bartholomew, The Memphis Horns, The Allman Brothers Band, Gil Scott-Heron, sound engineer Roger Nichols and the supreme Diana Ross, among others. Unlike the traditional awards ceremony where acceptance speeches are often hurried thank you’s quickly cinched by the music police, this non-broadcast event allowed for memories to be shared, along with heartfelt reflections on lives lived and bodies of work. Diana Ross brought her entire family on stage and spoke of how they were her greatest accomplishment.

Some of the recipients were unable to attend because of illness and some were awarded posthumously. Family members or associates accepted for them, offering glimpses into who they were and what they contributed…to the industry, to their fans and to the family members who loved them as mom, dad, husband or friend. Needless to say, there were tears shed on-stage and off. We were deeply moved.

I have nothing especially insightful to offer in summary. We walked away understanding a little more that within every successful artist there is joy of creative endeavor, passion for excellence, and a person who is profoundly human. Knowing this makes the art all the richer.

The real insight may come from what happened right after the Special Merits Awards Ceremony. As everyone got up from their seats and headed for the celebrations in an adjacent reception area, they also turned their phones back on. Suddenly you could hear gasps throughout the crowd as texts popped up, one after another. All around, people looked up from their phones in shock. All these music industry professionals were learning at the same time that Whitney Houston had been found dead while we enjoyed the ceremony.. Very real and very surreal at the same time. It was a scene from an Altman movie.

Life imitates art imitates life.

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

Graminated!

We’ve been very remiss in keeping up with our blog for the past couple of months, but the fourth quarter of the year is our most hectic. Our last post was in late October, right before the holiday rush hit and kept us hopping into January. Our last post was also about listening to music being offered as Grammy possibilities. What I didn’t mention was that our own children’s CD “GulfAlive” - the one written, performed and produced by my partner, Sid Berger, and I - was one of many in the mix of music up for consideration.

It didn’t seem worth mentioning. We certainly had no expectations…whatsoever. The Grammy’s is a competition voted on by industry professionals, so the better connected you are, the better chance you have. We are as unconnected as it gets.

But on November 30, right after the Grammy nomination show was broadcast on TV, the full list of nominees was published online. And there it was, “GulfAlive, by The Banana Plant.” We didn’t believe it was real until we started receiving follow-up correspondence from NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), the organization behind the Grammy’s.

So, we are one of five nominees in the Best Children’s Album category, picked out of more than 120 entries. We’re heading to L.A. to attend all the festivities and ceremonies with plans to embrace the experience to the max. And since getting nominated was far beyond our wildest dreams, we will enjoy every aspect of this honor. It would be nice to win (long, long, long shot!), but we’re sufficiently overjoyed to be nominees. For those of us who revel in the creative process, it’s nice to get a pat on the head for it.

Gwynn Torres

The Creativity Institute

Grammyland Delights

Along with running The Creativity Institute, my husband and I are musicians and songwriters. Through our affiliation with NARAS, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, we’re able to vote on music known and unknown to be nominated for the annual Grammy awards.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve spent hours and hours listening to musicians of various genres. What an exciting and inspiring endeavor it has been! Sure, we encountered some artists who were at various levels of lackluster, but, overall, we came across some amazing talent lurking in the wings of discovery.

Here are just a few of the musical acts who were a delightful surprise for me: Parris Lee, Carolyn Malachi, Light of Love, Allison Tartalia, LR-60, Kathy Sanborn, Terri Lynn Carrington, D Woods, Sylvan Street Jazz, Linda Chorney, Vernell Brown, Jr., Bombastic Meatballs….I could go on and on.

And what I love most about this experience is that it is pure creative food. Have you ever felt an urge to paint after walking through a gallery? Or wanted to design an outfit after watching “Project Runway?” Or maybe start that book you always knew you had in you after reading a particularly memorable story? Embrace the bountiful creative buffet at every opportunity. You can never get too much.

If I weren’t feeling so good right now, I might jump on my soapbox about keeping the arts alive in schools…but, for now, I am drifting happily on a music high and expect to stay there for a while as I explore the full repertoire of the artists we’re just getting to know.

I encourage you to listen to some music you’ve never heard before, and if it feeds your soul a little bit, meet me in the clouds!

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

We’re Spoiled!

For his birthday, we recently gave our neighbor’s little boy an activity house made by The Original Toy Company. We knew he’d like it, because he’d shown interest in shape sorting toys at our house. But we were especially pleased by his mother’s reaction. She was surprised and delighted to see that this toy is crafted of wood, and beautifully crafted, I might add.

I realized how those of us at The Creativity Institute have come to take it for granted that the toys we offer are of superior quality. We’ve been in the toy business for almost eight years now, and we’re just spoiled. Oh sure, we’ve been very picky about what we carry, and we’ve discontinued a line or two that we appraised and decided weren’t worthy of our brand. But our neighbor’s appreciation of the workmanship of this relatively inexpensive toy reminds us that not all toys are made alike.

Most of our toy vendors are not the giant, multi-national brands, which produce in great mass and measure quantity sold as the more important definition of success. In fact, a number of our manufacturers are relatively small, some even family-owned. They offer lines of artistically crafted blocks, trains, easels and more, their beloved designs honed by tradition and a commitment to quality.

We love our toy vendors. We know them personally and have come to respect their integrity. And that’s why we like being a specialty toy store. We carry the toys that become classics and make parents feel as good as the kids.

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

“…permission to have crazy ideas”

My partner and I spent many years on the creative side of the advertising and marketing industry and still do a bit of consulting. It was a fun, exciting career, but you were only as good as your last campaign. Expanding the horizons of your imagination was a necessary and ongoing pursuit. This fascination with the importance of thinking beyond obvious boundaries ultimately led to the creation of our store, The Creativity Institute…which brings me to the phrase “…permission to have crazy ideas.”

I borrowed it from an article in “Fast Company” about a company that built has been building a culture of creativity. It talks about inspired employees and customers and the resulting growth. But what does “…permission to have crazy ideas” mean to us as parents, grandparents and educators?

Creativity is freedom. Freedom to think without repercussion. Freedom to push the imaginary envelope without ridicule. Freedom to find the crazy in all of us that frequently leads to brilliance.

Adulthood offers more than enough opportunities to squash creative egos. For those of us fortunate enough to be in positions to inspire kids of all ages, please inspire, motivate, encourage…and most of all, give permission to find the crazy.

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

Crazy for Cards

Working in the creative department of ad agencies brought lots of exciting artistic opportunities through the years. Despite busy schedules, we were constantly called on to make custom cards for employee or client events…birthdays, promotions, new babies, etc. And they usually had to be fast and clever. Some were more challenging than others, but it was always a good exercise in creativity.

It’s also a great exercise in creativity for children, and as long as they know they can’t fail, it’s fun for them. Help them along with hints if they need it. You can ask them questions such as, “What does Grandpa like to do?” Encourage the child to fill the card with things that are dear to the recipient. If Grandpa loves to fish, the child could draw or cut out a giant, colorful fish. And have fun with the message. For instance, for the giant fish concept you could write, “I hope your birthday fun is THIS big!

A homemade card for someone special is a gift in itself, an heirloom to treasure. And the simple act of creating it can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute