Like Tracks in My Mind

PebbyTracks_7301, originally uploaded by carolsLittleWorld.

So, I’m in this online group and this week they have announced their “big project.” It’s going to be a “make your own album” project, which is kind of interesting to me for a couple of reasons.

For starters, I’ve always felt that most people who are photographically inclined also participate in other art forms-many, in fact, actually play music as well. There are all kinds of data to back this idea up, everything from famous photographers who also play music to famous musicians who also take pictures to studies that show one art pulls in the same as the next, that sort of a thing. Yes, it’s true, there are many ties between music, art, photography, creative writing, etc. and, quite frankly, most of these ties center around the art of being creative, being able to “see” things and then make them come to life. We all do this on some level, it’s not actually relegated to the arts but, suffice it to say, the arts force us to do it a lot more and, in fact, often rely up our ability to do that in order to be successful.

Apart from the entire “musicians and photographers are artists too!” mantra, I’ve recently started going over some old song lyrics that I had written, many years ago, but never did anything with, at least never set to music or visuals. A treasure trove, that is! Oh my, there is much untapped potential in this sort of a thing. Even if the words don’t come out “worthy” just the notion that I can write song lyrics and then use that as a basis for an art project is quite a sound one (excuse the pun.) So, last night, I was sitting around, almost doodling really, when I got a few ideas for songs in my head. I started writing down bits of choruses and verses and refrains and the like, with wild notions of musical refrains dancing around in my head. I must admit, it was kind of a refreshing change of pace, writing music like that was. It used different “muscles” in my brain, if you will, to allowing me to flex those creative juices (so to speak.) Yes, I’d have to say it was fun for a while, even if I didn’t get very far and, really at the end of it all, I do have a few visual ideas, including some things I’ve been meaning to try for ages but simply haven’t gotten around to and some things I’ve not had on the back burner but expanded upon to fill in some gaps. Yes, I’d have to say this making music business, so far anyway, has yielded some interesting “fruit of the creative tree” (so to speak.)

Then there’s the notion of making “album” artwork, with items like an album cover, a track list, liner notes, and the like. Come on now, who would not want to do this kind of a project? Seriously. It sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

Of course, having said this, it’s also a bit of a stretch as a project. I’m sure some people will have a hard time thinking about what they can do. It’s an open-ended project. (Those of you who know me, probably know too that these types of projects I like best, though I am the first to admit they aren’t for all.) Some people are confused as to the concept of an “imaginary” album, as if such a thing could never exist, so why go ahead and create one? Such a project as this, I would imagine, would be very hard for those of us more literal to interpret, and I really feel for those folks. They will have a hard time with this one, as it’s so open-ended and also relies heavily upon imaginative resources. (Of course, it’s just the kind of project I would really love to sink my teeth into, so here’s hoping I have time and inclination to participate.)

The idea of crafting images to accompany music is nothing new, really. Even before album cover art, folks have been doing that for ages. Bringing something to a new media is a great way to play as an artist and so I’m really looking forward to see what the online community will come up with, at least for this project anyway.

For those of you who want to play along, there’s an element of writing to this, as well as the visual interpretation and, of course, the musical “ties” which can be as strong (or as weak!) as one would like to make them. The only real “requirements” are that you contribute with original artwork, that it be tied somehow to your imaginary album, and that you submit all work by the deadline in question. (Best of luck if you decide to participate in the project.) I’ve got some ideas running around in my head, but it’s already shaping up to be a busy time for me, so here’s hoping I can play along too, with this making (musical) tracks from my mind sort of a project.

Until next time…