Dry
Mar 22, 2009 muse
It’s amazing and uncomfortable how I go from oasis to drought. I’ve had a few pretty good weeks on the dream trail, met some writers/performers both live and online with lots to say. And I continue to be inspired by artist friends who are relentless and passionate about their work. As I read through perspectives and check out the day to day activities of indie artists, I sense a deep undercurrent making the waters trickier to navigate, though many [thankfully] are up to the challenge.
Friday night I caught Kim McLean and Mark Elliot at the Muse, it was quiet, but the songs and vibe were good, and I came home with a couple of new ideas. Decided yesterday to work with my main co-writer to put together a couple of sets of covers and our own material and work hard at setting up stools in coffee shops for 2-3 hours shifts just to get heard, even if the pay is what ends up in the tip jar.
I try to spend a good bit of time on Sundays taking the day as it come, nothing too structured. I may doodle on a drawing pad or take some pictures, or object write a hook idea or jam mindlessly in between sipping a cup of coffee. I’m looking forward to this afternoon, after church and lunch, hopeful for some creative precipitation to start refilling the well.
I’ve been here before… I’ll be here again.
Tags: creativity, well runs dry, write
Stoking Embers
Mar 10, 2009 sojourn
I’m very fortunate to be at a point in life where I can play gigs without sweating how much money I’m going to pocket. Of course I don’t always play for free, though at times I make barely enough to cover gas and a drink, but I don’t turn down opportunities to stretch my musicality and be around fresh sounding players and writers that spark inspiration into my own works.
This past weekend I packed a bass and made a trip to Atlanta to back a 17 year old guitarist/writer named Desmond Myers. With heroes like John Mayer and The Beatles, he’s a welcome breath of fresh air. Not only talented, but a great guy and I certainly hope nothing but the best for his career.
Aside from basic expenses (food/lodging) I made the trip pro-bono, and I’m REALLY glad I did. I got to hear other bands and writers, many quite young, most with an infectious hunger to make music at all costs. I got to hang out with Desmond’s producers, Alan and Jimm of Hit Music Studios in Spencer, NC., as well as a couple of other budding artists being produced by HMS.
The road to ATL was an interesting one, to say the least. I hooked up with the situation via friend/musician with whom I recently reconnected, after 25 years. We rehearsed less than 4-hours total, and did both gigs without sound check. Not everything went off without a hitch, not all the music I heard enamored me. But, overall I came back to CLT pumped about future opportunities with Alan/Jimm, and, perhaps more importantly, ready to freshen my approach to practicing and writing… not to mention the prospect of cutting an EP by summer.
First thing after dinner, I caught up on emails and to do’s. I listened to a talk on creativity and read a blog post on Lefsetz Letter that really helped put the weekend in context (a 5-minute read). There’s so much negative press about the music industry these days, but there are many spurning the pundits and choosing to invest the time and energy to get in the game for the long-haul.
Few will make it big, some will make it regionally, others, like me, perform in coffee houses because we love to play and sing. But the revolt is on, and it’s fueling the dreams of many, including mine. Indie artists with quality material and a well defined sound can and will make inroads. There are audiences out there wanting to escape the media’s torrent of lousy news, and our music is part of what they seek as refuge. It takes guts, planning, a ton of practice, and some luck, but, at least in my mind, passion trumps odds, and I’m seeing a lot of passion out there.
True artists get after it every day… it would be very easy for me to say “hey, I tried”, grab a cup of coffee and sit back and watch “younger crowd” fight the good fight. This past weekend reminded me of many past experiences, good and bad. I’ve been working pretty hard over the last 5-6 years to rekindle the fire by developing some songwriting chops and re-activating my bass playing. I’m still in the game, and plan to be till the embers go out.
Risk the Reward
Mar 1, 2009 sojourn
What a whirlwind 24 hours… the culmination of planning a workshop, then both witnessing and reaping the fruit of hanging out and learning from seasoned veteran artist and songwriter Craig Bickhardt. Going out on Friday nights is always tough for me, with work and my desire to just degauss at home. But once I get to the venue, relax and enjoy the show, I realize every step of this mini-journey is so worthwhile, and this past Friday night was a great precursor to the next day’s workshop.
Saturday morning it’s an early rise and get to the Well to setup and greet our workshop attendees and presenter. The day goes off without a hitch, the interaction very much in tune with expectations for our time with Craig. Our NSAI chapter is so dynamic; we had a couple of brand new faces and some recently signed members in attendance, all willing and enthusiastic participants. And Susan, our hostess at The Well serves the group like family… just can’t thank her and The Well enough.
No punches pulled in the accounts Craig shared of both success and rejection, perspectives on the current and future states of the music industry, especially as it pertains to the songwriter. But even with the less that “hopeful” picture, I think we all left encouraged to press on with our respective art and raising the bar for the work we produce.
There were many nuggets of wisdom shared. Craig’s views on creativity always stir introspection. He told a story of two groups of children being asked to draw pictures, one was offered candy for doing so, the other just asked to draw. The drawings from group that got the candy were not very creative at all, the focus was on the reward, not the potential art. The group that created without the objective of being “compensated” for their effort produced thoughtful and inspired works of art.
What’s the point?
To me, and I think we as writers know this, there’s risk in being a writer. It takes time, often significant amounts of time. Time away from family, sacrificing sleep, and time away from our comfort zones. It takes guts, and money, and shattered hope through rejection, and the fear of sharing that first draft or forgetting the words or melody, on and on… there is risk in being an artist.
What about the reward for taking such risks? Truth is, there is no realistic promise or guarantee of tangible reward. But the heart of what I got out of this segment is the need to do a gut check on my motivation for creativity. I need to expose the nagging slack in my discipline and slay it by making time away from being tethered to the Internet, closing the door to my studio and being willing to sit in silence as my mind and being dive into a character, scene or feeling that might end up in a song, story, or other form of art.
We didn’t spend much time on tools like literary devices, but Craig made what I perceived as a pretty profound perspective regarding imagery… that is, to use imagery to reveal and expand upon a character, motivation, and/or emotion. This is where taking time in quiet is key to “seeing” what I’m writing about.
Though quite tired and drained, I drove home Saturday afternoon through heavy rain inspired to press on as an artist/writer, re-committed to the understanding that being true to my own art means embracing risk and putting forth effort to produce the ultimate reward — art itelf.
Tags: bickhardt, Evening Muse, NSAI, songwriting