Inspiration: Music As An Ingredient
Where do I find inspiration? As an artist I am often asked this question. The answers are infinite so my response is usually broad and goes something like this: I discover it through exploring, experiencing, and questioning both the world around me, and the people in it. That is true, but when I think about the question a little more, there is a facet to my answer that is left out, and that is music. From the time a concept finds it’s way to me, and throughout the process of executing it onto a canvas or in my sketchbook, music is the glue that seems to bind it all together in my head.
During the 5 years I spent living in San Diego (2003-08), it was the music scene there that often filled the gaps for me when I needed an influx of ideas. Almost weekly I’d find myself down at a small coffee shop venue known as Lestat’s, a place where up and coming artists have shared their talents for years on the tiny plywood stage. With caffeine in one hand and my sketchbook in the other I’d plop myself down in the front row and for two plus hours I’d watch artists like Greg Laswell, Anya Marina and Rob Deez sharing their craft. It was bliss. Sometimes during the show I’d write and sketch and other times I’d just sit back and take it all in. Always though, I left inspired. Ready to put pen to paper, or paint to canvas. Of course sometimes that didn’t happen until after sharing a beer with the musicians at the Irish Pub down the block.
On the studio side, if the paints are out and the brushes are wet then the music is most definitely on, pulsing through my ipod or out of my computer. As the years passed in San Diego, eventually there came a point when just listening to music wasn’t enough. A couple of guitars found their way to me and today they are as much an integral part of my studio as the easels I paint on.
Music will always inspire my artwork. How I will evolve with it I have no idea, but I think Paul Simon was on the right track when he said, “Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die.”
I originally wrote this post for a blog belonging to a fellow artist and friend, Patrick Carney. You can check out his musically inspired artwork here.