Recently, I was reading an interview with a musician I
admire, and I thought to myself about how interviewers (I feel) in general
don’t ask any of the questions I want to hear. I don’t want to hear any namedropping,
I don’t want to hear about where they got their band name from, the movement
they used to spearhead (other than it’s comparative nature and context), or who
they are dating, or about how they’re feeling about the big music fest coming
up, etc.
In this moment of deep thought, I realized that popular music is also an art by
it’s base definition, it occurred to me (duh) that musicians, whether you are talking about
Fred Durst, 2 Live Crew, Haydn, Madlib, Ani Difranco, or The Flaming Lips, Django or a
John Doe studio Ghost Writer, they are ALL capital 'A'rtists just like me. Yet another arm of creative production. There are some similarities between these different categories to a visual artist in many ways.
Not in the work they produce, or in the specific creative process that creating work requires in order to produce an actual product, whether thats a painting or a song. For a musician to get to the
point of recording in a studio, or for an artist to put a painting up on a wall, or for a comic strip to be published in the Saturday paper there is a whole behind the scene process that must take place. Under this umbrella of creativity, we are all part of the same Creative family.
I am admittedly guilty of not giving many
musicians due credit because of the way media and the music industry handles, treats, and presents their musicians to the public. Because of the way we look at musicians and fame in general. I think the music industry is a bogus extension of the capitalist machine. Is the Art World any better? Asking these question made me realized the inherent contradiction at hand that I was perpetuating. For whatever reason, I realized that the path of
Artists, whether you are a Musician, Writer, Singer, or a dancer, etc. it ALL falls under the same category. We are all related, part of
one machine that marches to the same beat that effects the senses and the brain, as well as the heart. And behind all of that, finally is PROCESS PROCESS PROCESS.
'The Only Food Group That Counts', Gouache on paper, 2013
In minding my newly discover epiphany, I realized I have
been cheating you readers, by presenting a one dimensional version of what I do in my process, I was showing you all an elitist vision of the creative process by only showing you the product. And so I promised myself I would write at the very
least, ONE post that really got the due attention that all posts deserve. In general, my time has always been pretty stretched thin, especially when I
was in Grad School, and writing a thorough post has never been at the top of my
list of priorities due to circumstances beyond my control.
But, generally,
this blog has been comprised of mostly visual elements with occasional
statements made here and there regarding my art-making or the work I do as an
Art Educator. I now am, when able, going to make a concerted effort to
communicate better with you dear readers, about the things I truly care about
and am interested in as artist whenever priorities shift and time is allowed. The details between the lines if you will. Let’s make a pinky swear on it.
With that said, here are my main topics of interest (as an artist) to consider when interviewing ALL types of Artists:
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Process (every aspect!!)
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Technique
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Interpretation
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Context
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Theoretical & Critical Analysis
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Innovation
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Distribution
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