I’m nearly a week late with my post… I have a bunch of excuses, “I forgot. I thought it was next week, I had too much on my plate this week” the list goes on.
Creativity Requires We Take a Risk
And like most artists, I need some inspiration.
The truth is I sit at my desk in my home office 40+ hours a week and haven’t found anything stimulating or inspiring to write about. I’ve spent the better part of a year interacting with people only on zoom and binge-watching old re-runs on TV. (I’m on the last season of Deep Space 9 at the moment).
Then a surprise: Last night (March 16) I was invited to watch a performance by a group of men who just completed a songwriting program. They were performing their music for the first time. Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone! Their words and music raw and live…this was artistry at the core. I was inspired by the very thought of it. I had to attend!
What is art, and why is it a risk to make it?
According to Wiki: “Art is a diverse range of human activities involving the creation of visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), which express the creator’s imagination, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”
This isn’t the only definition of course. If you ask anyone “what is art,” you will get many different answers. I have often been confounded by art in museums. I once found myself in a dimly lit room surrounded by bronzed cow patties. Obviously, this moved someone enough to create it and moved a curator enough to display it but it didn’t speak to me. I need more than an idea or a statement, I need art to connect with me emotionally.
Are we all Artists?
We are all naturally born creators. Humans are good at taking something from the imagination and making stuff. We have subdued this planet with the stuff we’ve made. When the intention becomes personal and deliberate is where the magic happens.
I would argue when you are bold enough to share something deeply personal in the form of art, performance, dance, song, or written word, it can change you to your core. I witnessed it last night.
How did this performance inspire me?
Here was a group of men writing music for the first time, and performing their own work for the first time. I love music and there is nothing better to me than live music.
The first performer was introduced. His wife sat close beside him mouthing the words with him as he sang. The sound of his voice would not be described as beautiful and yet it was beautiful. His performance, his words, his music, his own tears, and the adoration of his wife moved me and most everyone attending. There was an emotional connection in me. I was hooked.
As each person sang their song they expressed deep personal thoughts that also touched every listener. With an “open hand” and an “open heart”, another performance touched me with, “step back to the moment … remember why I am.“
Each performance was compelling and honest and raw.
I began writing bits of lyrics and thoughts from the performers and hosts that I found compelling so that I would remember them.
Except for a subtle shift, this is a world without change.
I see you, I hear your cries.
Let me fly.
I won’t fade in a season of change.
With each performance, there was a release that can only come when an artist takes a risk. You could see and feel the emotional and personal impact on each performer. This was the theme and purpose of the night – take a risk, complete the journey, and share it with others. The result as verbally expressed by some of the performers was life-changing.
They had Unleashed Their Voice!
Why are YOU here?
So dear reader, if you have read this far… why are you here? What brought you to this post? What brought you to Blumvox Studios? Did you happen to land here because you’re interested in voiceover or voice acting? If so you’re in a good place. Maybe you landed here because you searched for something related to art or music and you’re my lucky guest. In any case, thank you for checking out our blog and I hope you hang out a while and read more of our posts.
Regardless of how you got here, I encouraged you to take a risk, be bold, and ‘Unleash Your Voice’. Find the creative spirit in you, learn something new, and make something new to share with the world. It could be life-changing.
I ask myself, (as the one performer wrote), “What happens now?”
My (and his) answer, “I begin again.”
Thank you for reading.
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a voice artist please explore our site and blogs.
If you’re intersted in the music program that inspired me to write this post, it’s called the Songwriter’s Journey, click here to learn more.