Saturday 16 August 2014

A Song - A Glimpse into a Secret World

One of the amazing things about human beings is that although we are all incredibly similar we are also unique.  In fact, I believe that we all live in our own personal universes, each one with slightly different colours, shapes, paradigms, rules and even laws of nature.  Each one is built by a fascinating combination of experience, environment, genetics and a bit of randomness.

One of the amazing things about art is that it enables us to share our universes, allowing us to be connected with others, recognised by them and hopefully allowing them to feel connected and recognised too.

A song is a glimpse in to another's universe.

I was excited to read that Nick Cave is quite open about how he has developed a set of symbols, stories and language that he uses in his songs.  These symbols are part of his own creative process and contribute to the richness of meaning in his individual songs and also his body of work.  I found myself wondering if the symbols are sometimes a starting place for a work, if he adds then unconsciously or deliberately and how long it took him to develop this language.  Is it something he discovered over time?

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Josh Pyke and I read an article where he said a similar thing - that he had certain words, images and symbols that recurred in his songs and that they had become part of his creative world and process.  Knowing his work as I do, it was wonderful to hear him talk about the fox, the wolves and the sea.

I am interested to look back over my work for recurring themes, symbols and ideas.  I know there are certain feelings, moods and images that inspire me and I wonder if they have found their way in to lots of my songs.  It's an interesting idea and a great way to take a different approach to creative work.

Are there symbols and images that you are drawn to?

Do you deliberately or unconsciously include particular ideas?

What glimpses in
to your secret world do your songs reveal?

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