Lesson #2: Use Your Art To Express Your Authentic Voice!
In my last blog post, the lesson was to always remember your first leap of faith! As an example of that lesson, I wrote on how revisiting that moment can help you refocus your mindset and motivate you through the challenges of being a creative. This actually leads into the next lesson. And yes, I have another song to help explain!
Listen, YOU MATTER! The emotions you feel are REAL. Your opinions represent your TRUTH. Only you understand your experience and never EVER run from that. Let your art be a reflection of who you are. Let it shed your tears and scream your excitement.
Thank you to Toucon Official. Thank you to L’mar Zandere. Thank you to Miles “Breez.” With the help of you three, I was able to create this song.
My Truth & Reality
Before any adjective or accolade describes my person or achievements, I am a black man. That will never change, nor do I ever want it to. Being a black man in America is my reality. Often times, I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. I feel as if I owe everyone around me something unobtainable. At times, I don’t know where to stand or how to act, in order to avoid the vibration that my prescence brings to a room. In some areas I do not feel safe. I’ve feared for my life in elevated confrontations with authority. I fear for the lives of my family and friends as they go about their days. Occasionally, I don’t feel loved.
On the flip side, I love my melanated skin. I am inspired by my Haitian heritage. I feel the strength in my character and being. My medium coarse hair is part of my identity and I get a kick out of explaining its wave pattern to those outside of the culture. It’s always comforting when you recognize someone who looks like you in an unfamiliar place. The amazing smell of food coming from the kitchen. Warm hugs.
With that being said, imagine the confused emotions of a black man as he watches a police officer kneel on the neck of another black men for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Unfortunately, its a feeling I won’t ever have the words to describe.
Lesson #2: Use Your Art To Express Your Authentic Voice
I didn’t have the words to express my emotions when asked about my opinions on the George Floyd situation. Even today, there are millions of thoughts that run through my mind but none are vocal. It’s hard because this is my truth. This is the reality I face everyday as a black man. But when life reaches a point where words are insufficient, there exisit a space within art that free’s the confusion trapped in the mind. And that space for me is inside recording studios.
With my eyes closed, I browsed through different instrumentals primarily to past time, being the depressed state I was in as a result of the tragedy. When this particular instrumental began to play, it just felt right.
And because of that feeling, I wanted to go a step further. I knew this was a song I did not want to speak much on so I came up with the idea to enhance the audio with visuals to express a little more of the ideas in my head. My first music video.
Thank you to Director Based & IAMKVJ for bringing visualizing my musical expression in a visual that subtly shows reality cannot be escaped by a change of clothes or location.
Disclaimer: Similar to my last blog post, my goal is not to write too much about my creative process because that will be different for each creative. What is more important is the moments leading up to our creations, with the right intentions, our art will always be authentic in its expression and in no need of validation.
How have you expressed your true authenticity in a piece of original art? Would you agree that it’s a feeling that cannot easily be written about? (lol)
Stay tuned for the next post!
