Images

Images. It’s what we deal in. Whether as a musician, songwriter, writer, poet, photographer, or videographer, imagery, imagination, and possibilities are what what we try to convey.

Feelings are also important. Intellect without feelings is cold and impersonal. But images that make you feel and make you think are successful images. Trying to achieve these things however is a fool’s errand. It’s got to come from the heart. It has to come viscerally and without effort. You have to let it flow through your veins; through your fingers; and through your heart. Great art is where the mind meets the heart and creates magic.

We paint images with words. We paint pictures with notes and chords. We write words with pixels and moving pictures. We paint pictures with sound and with silence. We paint pictures with color and with the absence of color. Silence gives sound meaning. Blank spaces give colors meaning. Black and white are also colors. Choosing just two colors, black and white, that’s also a choice.

It sounds trite and cliché but sometimes less really is more. True genius is knowing just how much oomph and emphasis to add and how much to leave out or take away in the editing process. The great chef knows just how much spice to add. The true artist knows the same thing. Blank spaces and silences create art.

Soul is what we normally associate with natural talent but it can also describe those who have spent hour upon hour perfecting and honing their craft. Those who with single-minded determination, have put all aside to focus on one singular goal and have managed to achieve perfection in their chosen pursuit. Effortless mastery and intimate knowledge of their craft lets them share part of their soul with their audience. They create without conscious effort because it simply comes naturally to them.

Specialization is double-edged sword though. It allows you to focus all of your attention on a singular area of endeavor but every choice to do one thing is a choice to not do something else. Choose wisely. As the old saying goes, trying to chase two rabbits will yield no results but focusing too much energy and attention on one task can leave you lacking in other areas of your life. It truly is a balancing act. But making a bad choice in this regard is better than making no choice at all.

Sometimes you have to practice; but sometimes you just have to play without constraints and just play what comes to mind.

“It’s not just a game of notes, it’s the sounds inside your soul…” from the amazing song by Triumph, Hold On from their album Just a Game.

Make your art come to life. Most of us are innately visual and so, as your composition teacher would tell you, show don’t tell. Images are what we convey. Your vision is what you share when you create art.

Another inspirational article dealing with the love of music was written by a friend of mine and can be found by clicking An Ode to the Love of Music.