A Week Late! /// Music Monday #48

Gulp . . . I think I might be a little late.

Like, by a week.

Sorry about that, folks! When I didn't post on the last two Fridays, it threw me off my schedule. But I'm back with another great song!

"Iron Man 3" from Iron Man 3

Composed by Brian Tyler

I decided to do a Marvel track in honor of Avengers: Endgame coming out this last weekend. The Iron Man 3 soundtrack means a few things to me. It's special because first, it's my seventh soundtrack that I've ever bought; second, it's the first soundtrack I bought off of iTunes (I even remember the day I bought it); and third, it's my first Marvel soundtrack.

People give a lot of flack to Brian Tyler because they say his music is too boring or unimaginative or lackluster or whatever. And while one or two of his soundtracks have been that way for me--looking at you, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles--I've thoroughly enjoyed his three Marvel scores. Besides this one, he also did Thor: The Dark World by himself and Avengers: Age of Ultron with Danny Elfman. If you haven't listened to them, you should. They're great albums.

Something I like about the Iron Man 3 soundtrack is that it's a great mix of bombastic action accompanied by quiet atmosphere. When you get the intense track,s they're big and bold, with that nice touch of clashing metal strewn throughout. Then you'll get ones that are a little calmer. Sometimes they're emotional, and sometimes they sound like they're meant for covert operations. It's just great variety all around. (Also, I love the creepy strings in the Mandarin's theme!)

I have actually not seen this movie yet and don't know much about it, so I really can't say anything on what the music is like within the film. All I can say is that Brian Tyler created a score that fit perfectly with the struggle Tony goes through after the events of The Avengers. I think this is where we see some real growth and change within the iron-clad hero, and the songs convey that feeling with vim and vigor--especially this one. Well done, Mr. Tyler, well done.

What did you think of today's music? Have you listened to the soundtrack or watched the movie? What're your opinions on both? Do you like or dislike Brian Tyler's scores? Also, I'll be posting again next week just to stay on schedule!

Quick Update

Hey, everyone! I hope your long weekend is going great so far.

I just wanted to quickly let you know that there's going to be no actual post today, and probably next week as well. I've been focusing a lot on my writing this month--what with me participating in Camp NaNoWriMo--and because I had no ideas for what to post about today, I decided to just skip it. I also need to catch up on replying to comments and take some time to explore other people's blogs.

Yeah, I know, I didn't do a post last Easter either, but it wasn't intentional that this happened for the second year in a row. Hopefully this won't be the case next time!

I'll leave you with this: take some time to relax this weekend, do things you enjoy, and hang out with your family. Most importantly, set aside even just a couple minutes to remember all that Jesus did for us. His sacrifice on the cross still blows my mind, and I need to thank Him for it more often. His love for us is so immense, and this holiday is a big reminder of that.

Happy Easter, guys!

Struggles of an Artist: Devotions

We've been on a series where we discuss some of the struggles we face as creative artists. We've talked about time and our management--or perhaps mismanagement--of it. In the last installment, we chatted about self-care, how we need to look after ourselves if we want to actually help others. There are several areas of our lives that we have to tend to, and one of those is the area of spirituality. That's where today's topic fits in.

source

I enjoy going to church on Sundays. Participating in a community of fellow Christians is refreshing, I find. The time of worship helps me focus on God, and I learn so much from the messages. Teaching the kids once every four weeks is also fun, and something I don't take lightly. I wouldn't replace my going to church for anything in the world.

But it isn't enough. Some people are of the mindset that all you need is a Sunday morning service, and you're good to go for another week. That is not the case. You might get by, sure, but there's more to life than simply "getting by." We need to have our own personal devotional time.

It's a bit like college or university. You get taught by the professor at his class, but imagine what would happen if you did no studying on your own time, if you thought that you need only attend the class. The chances of you failing would be very high, indeed. Unless you're a brainiac or something, but that's not the point here.

Taking the time to do devotions is very important, and I'm discovering the truth in that more and more. By no means does this make me perfect, as I still struggle to have my devos every day. It just means that I'm trying to make more of an effort to do the things I need to do.

"How do devotions help with my art?" you might be asking. There are a couple of reasons, I think. The first is that God is the greatest artist of all time. He inspired many people to write the Bible; He created everything in existence. He is the source of our imagination and the origin of our ideas. Doing devos helps you strength your connection with Him. Why would you not want to be rooted firmly in the fountain of creativity and inspiration? If a car isn't connected to the engine, it ain't going anywhere fast, and not without struggle. Things get easier when the engine is in use.

The second reason is going back to self-care. If you don't take care of yourself spiritually, it really does affect your creative outlet, as well as the rest of your life. I recently-ish went through a season where I hadn't done my devotionals in a while, and it impacted me in a negative way. When I went back to doing them, my life changed for the better. Spending time with Jesus gives me hope, peace, and joy.

As for how much time you should spend and what you do during that time . . . honestly, it's up to you. There are no rules dictating what you're supposed to do and how long you should do it. I prefer to read one chapter of the Bible (I'm currently reading through it in the Voice translation) and one chapter of a teaching book. What's nice about the devotional book that I'm reading is that it has a couple of questions at the end for reflection. I also want to start doing a bit of writing for my devos too, such as when I find a verse or passage that God directs me toward, or for me to actually pen my answers to those reflections. Like I said, you can decide what works best for you.

One precaution: be wary of simply falling into the habit of doing devos for the sake of doing it. When it becomes a chore, it becomes a bore. Cheesy, I know, but it's true. It's the same thing for my writing. If I fall into the doldrums of merely doing it because I'm "supposed to," then it shifts into something tedious. What's the solution? Go to the heart of it all. Doing devotions is all about strengthening my relationship with Jesus, so that I may know Him better and trust Him more. Likewise, my writing is something that I feel is my calling, something that brings meaning to my life.

In fact, why don't we tackle the subject of meaning next time? I like the sound of that.

What did you think of this post? I hope you didn't feel condemned if you're not currently doing devos, because that wasn't my intent. When you do take the time to have devotions, how does it impact your life personally? Do you agree or disagree that it affects our art?