Music and Audio Books

Different artists have different methods and routines that help them to work and create. Some have the television or a movie playing, some need silence, others need an open window and fresh air.

Personally, I have found that all of the above tend to distract me from the task at hand. I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder when I was a young child, and have always had difficulty paying solid attention to what I'm doing. My brain runs 100 miles a minute at times and I get so busy thinking that I forget what I'm working on. I've battled this ADD monster for most of my life, and over time have developed my own methods for dealing with it.

I love to listen to music when I am drawing and I draw a lot of inspiration from it. I envision the upbeats and downbeats as movement for my characters, and in that way I give them a breath of life. If I'm in a rush and want to finish up a drawing quickly, I'll listen to hard rock: Metallica, AC/DC, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes... anything with a good beat. If I'm just relaxing and creating, I prefer softer rock: My Morning Jacket, Blue October & Counting Crows.

I've recently discovered audio books and it's amazing how fast and intent my drawing is when a book is playing in my ears. Since I'm listening and paying attention to the story, my brain doesn't get distracted and my hands can concentrate on the artwork.

Heather and I just finished listening to the Harry Potter series on audio book. She's read all of the books many times but I'd only seen the movies, never read the books. She insisted that I must read them before I could watch the last movies, so we downloaded them and spent the last few weeks listening at night, after the kids go to bed. I've really enjoyed that time... each working on our own projects but still side by side, listening to the calm steady voice of Jim Dale. As much as I loved the books, I was sad to reach the end of book 7 and not have another queued up and ready to go.

We're in search of our next audio book now, and I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions as to what that book should be. We've talked about starting the Potter series over, and we may do that, but I think we're both wanting something new and fresh.  

What have you read or listened to lately?