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Tim appears on Art Talks Again

You might remember that last March I had the good fortune to attend Willapa Bay Air in Oysterville, WA for a month-long composition residency.

While there, I was interviewed by fellow artist Gina Borg, a phenomenal visual artist, who also happens to host a podcast that interviews artists about their practice. Gina interviewed all of us at Willapa, and I am happy to report that my episode is finally available. You can hear my interview on Art Talks Again at iTunes, or over at the podcast website. If you are interested, you can subscribe and learn more about the other fabulous artists who I was in residence with.

I am really happy with the way the interview turned out. After listening to it, I found I could re-enter the creative mindset I was in while at Willapa Bay Air, which is proving to be extremely generative for my work this summer as I revise many of the compositions I composed in Washington.

via #11 – Tim Peck-composer, pianist

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the real world…

When fellows leave the grounds of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts after their residency, they are greeted by this reminder:

One really feels they are crossing the boundary between two distinct ways of being, simply by driving through this gate. It is an hour drive between VCCA and Charlottesville, Virginia. I purposefully kept my radio off, driving in silence to be with my thoughts and the lush southern countryside.

My residency was an opportunity to be with myself and my creative work for a time, unfettered by the concerns of the “real world.” After a few days in this creatively generative space, I found myself able to begin allowing new thoughts in. Though my residency was only 9 days, I was able to sketch out the beginnings of 7 new solo piano pieces. These works are far from finished, but I feel they are good beginnings. It was exciting to be in a position of creative generation again, after spending so many years on finishing up my last project.

If nothing else, my time at VCCA reminded me of the contours of a creative life. I don’t believe the sign at the boundary between these two places is meant to instill dread. Rather, I believe its purpose is to remind leaving fellows that it is their duty to keep one foot firmly planted in the practice they developed while in residency. There is no greater gift one can give themselves than to be generous with their work, or with those around them.

As I navigate the year ahead, I am excited to put this theory into practice. My residency has opened me up to allow new creative influences into my life. I will be heading off to Spain soon, collecting inspiration for new creative work. I don’t know the shape of this new work yet, but I feel I am able to receive whatever the universe is willing to share with me.

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A summer residency

VCCA studios

I am happy to announce that I will be heading off to Virginia in a week to begin my summer residency as a composition fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. As I finish the Kickstarter campaign for Rivulets this summer, it will be refreshing to also inhabit some new some creative space, and to allow new ideas to begin percolating. I have been considering writing some short pieces for solo piano, so I intend to start there. However, one of the greatest gifts at residency is the freedom it allows to simply explore new creative work.

As I begin to explore my next creative project, I hope you will join me in putting the finishing touches on Rivulets. If you haven’t already done so, please visit the album’s Kickstarter page and make your contribution. This is turning out to be such a productive and energizing summer, and I’d love to have you be a part of it.