USE WHAT IS AT HAND. Sarah Magill, musically known as Quiet Takes, experiments with written excerpts from her journaling, new musical skills, and weekly themes in 10 improvisational song sketches published online. (Image via "Improvisation 7" video)

Hush now. Don’t explain. Make it all up and make sure you sway. Cornflake girls play pool at Clancy's. Don't explain. Don’t explain.

Local Sarah Magill, musically known as Quiet Takes, invites all to explore the weirder and wilder sides of life through her improvisational song sketches. Magill combines excerpts of her own poetry (featured above) with audio and video snippets of her musical experimentation, offering a multi-sensory experience that delves into the depths of her creative process.

“I was thinking about my own artistic practice: how do I create something for myself that helps me practice?” Magill said. “Practice not caring about a finished presentable project, (giving) myself permission to just try things out without any expectation.”

Subscribers to the Quiet Takes newsletter are treated to an extra layer of intimacy: a sweet voice memo that adds a personal touch to the listening and viewing experience. Magill's work is an invitation to embrace the unexpected, to find beauty in the unconventional, and to give yourself permission to create without fear or judgment.

For the artist, the practice of creating simply for the sake of creating, follows this loose structure:

1. Begin with no expectations
2. Use whatever is at hand
3. Aim for 1 minute of sound and images
4. Start and finish in one stretch
5. Share

Magill experiments with written excerpts from her reflections in journaling, new musical skills, and revisiting weekly themes across 10 improvisational song sketches published on the Quiet Takes website and YouTube. With no explanations provided, the songs and visuals provide a freeing outlet to battle perfectionism and embrace openness in creativity.

“It’s a really good practice — therapeutically — just to get things out even if they are not legible to anyone else,” Magill said. “That is why art is nice. (The improvisation has) given me a very good place to just try things out, not get too in my head about it.”

The magic of this self-care practice, Magill said, is partly due to the fact that these song sketches, which first began in the new year, have no concrete end date. Creating for the sake of creation — not placing value on a specific final product — has become a means of connection between herself and her musical peers.

“I’m not going to promise anything to myself. The most important thing is doing whatever artistic practice makes sense for your self-care and makes you feel good,” Magill said.

Subscribe to the Quiet Takes mailing list to engage with upcoming improvisations. To listen and view previous weeks’ content, visit quiettakes.com/improvisations.