I love to create. I think in my heart of hearts I’m a performer first, but my creativity switch is stuck in the ‘on’ position pretty much all the time. We’ll call it a 52/48 split in favor of performing – but I find that the two go hand-in-hand so well and one rarely happens without the other.
Artistically… my band is recording right now. There are obviously huge elements of orchestration and composition that go along with that, but at the same time when the red button is pushed, and the light goes on, we are capturing a performance – and ideally it’s a well curated, well executed performance of an artistic work.
It’s truly my favorite.
Recording is pretty much the only time a band can truly sound the way they were meant to sound in their heads. Any other time, you’re at the mercy of a sound tech who has probably never heard you before. The performance is etched in time, and it starts a new chapter of life for the band – unfortunately for some, it’s the last chapter – but for us, it’s just the next phase.
The live performance is special in that it as much as it happens with frequency, it also only happens once. The subtle nuances that happen from night to night are different, and in that way it’s never quite the same. Between any 2 shows can be a long drive or a short one, a shitty meal or an amazing one, a heated phone call or a happy one, a great sleep or a bad one… no two shows are quite the same and in those differences is artistic variance. It’s what makes it magical… and the goal is to be consistently great, even within those variances.
Both performing and creating are crucial… and it’s prompted the title of this post: “artisan work”
It’s an amazing amount of work to get to this point, but it’s also not work at all. It’s also work that not everyone can do… but it’s not always difficult.
It’s at times like these that excitement sets in, imagining the possibility of what can happen with this recording, and how many live performances will result from it’s release. But before we think too far ahead, we have to acknowledge that we are here in this moment, and that thinking too far ahead doesn’t serve us right now. We have to make important decisions now…
… and the future will have to wait.
ALSO: I was recently interviewed on a new podcast called Pillars of Creation. It was an honour and a really fun conversation. Giving them a like & a follow on their socials is worth it, I assure you. Check my conversation below.
The Conscious Pilgrim 