Originally Posted by Dead-Air

I don't think there is anything at all wrong with purposely creating something experimental. The Fluxists did this, and much of what they did is damn entertaining as well as thought provoking.

What sucks is when people don't know how to do anything, and can't coherently express anything, and so they fuck around with technology without any real ideas and then call that "experimental". I think that sort of thing is what you are really railing against and that does litter the arts with garbage (almost as badly as those who just imitate others as closely as they can which is still the #1 source of crap).

Thinking about process can make for interesting art. It doesn't always, that's a risk you take. I don't believe, however, that without experimenting with process a bit that any original art can ever be created (somebody is immediately going to chime that "original art" is impossible to begin with, but I actually disagree with that). I also don't buy that thinking about process removes passion and emotion. It doesn't put them in there, but it doesn't take them out either - that's really up to the artist.

I think it's worth noting that you and I are (I think) discussing experimentation throughout the arts and not just in music, while others are probably talking more directly about music. There is a tendency particularly within music to try to define experimental music as a specific genre the way that "alternative" was once codified. Despite having founded the Olympia Experimental Music Festival and participated in it for 14 years straight, I've never seen things that way. I'm with Rob that Experimental Music just means music where you take risks, be it based in rock, jazz, klezmer, or whatever the fuck.

It's too bad that there are the clueless who make shit and call it experimental and thereby give a word with a noble direct definition a bad name. You can't ask anything about experimental art without starting a big discussion about the worth there of. I seriously doubt if the original post had asked what we all do to get in a "creative mindset" (which I'm pretty sure is exactly what the author was really asking) if there would have been so many responses about how doing so is a bad idea.