Every Thursday morning at work, I discuss American Horror Story Freak Show with some co-workers. Well my coworker showed me a picture and a story about Edward Mordrake; the one with the 2nd face on the back of his head. Turns out, this is an actual legend of a real person...down to the name & back story. We all know I'm a horror freak so the show mesmerizes me on its own...but knowing there is a little truth to it fascinates me. After looking into this, I found that a lot of the characters on the show are modeled after real life people. It's not the idea of the "freaks" that amazes. It's the detail and the research that went in to creating this show that has me in awe....
The writers obviously are passionate about this show and are devoted to giving you the best. That's how I feel about my art. Still not following?
When something is important to you and you are passionate about it, you put your all into it, no detail is random. Just like when I was watching my favorite show, I didn't realize all the details in it such as the real life references, etc. I loved it anyway, but now knowing these secret things...I love it more! So I'd like to share some secrets with you.
Secret: when it comes to my art, nothing I do is random. I'm all about the details. There are reasons behind every pattern, color or person's position I chose to draw or paint. I pay attention.
Sometimes they are intentional and sometimes they are not.
For example, unintentional: when I sketched a picture of Lee in a hoodie holding a guitar. I remember this day. I was sitting at Owen's BMX practice listening to another mom tell a story. I was just shading the sweatshirt, not thinking about what I was doing. I was just shading & listening. Little did I know, Karen pointed out later...I put a hummingbird in there! Isn't that crazy?! So think about it, I did that when I wasn't thinking about it.
But then there are the intentional ones, like the Braille word for “Muse” in my tattoo, or the pattern in the background of the “Fight” painting… that is a pattern scene on one of Lee’s instagram photos.
Sometimes when deciding on what colors I use, I absolutely look up color theory studies, creating a certain mood or vibe with certain colors. There is always a method to my madness. I will tell you this, when it comes to my Lee inspired art; I have never put this much thought and effort into anything. True Story.
Did you ever notice that inside the "Frames" album cover... each one of those pictures in the frames represent a different track? I did, I noticed that almost right away. This is what happens when I listen to music, I go right for the lyrics because that is where the real story lives. So there is this article that I think you should all read:http://laminatedlyrics.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/lyrics-people-vs-music-people/
It’s about Lyrics people vs. Music people. There is a perfect quote in there from One Tree Hill that is probably one of the most perfect quotes out there: “Sometimes things find you when you need them to find you, I believe that. And for me it’s usually song lyrics”- Peyton Sawyer- One Tree Hill.
That is exactly how I feel. The author also mentions how she how she views lyrics as storytellers’ investigative clues into the artist’s soul. This author and I could totally be friends because… yesss… exactly!
Those lyrical "clues” are what sparks all those images in my head. I pay attention to every single word Lee writes into those songs then I add a little bit of me into them because I can relate so much. It’s always in the details. I bet after this, you’ll go back and listen to a song and you will hear it in a different way than you did before….I’d bet money on it.
As Pablo Picasso once said; “Painting is another way of keeping a diary”, there is so much truth to this, as an artist, that quote is legit. But what about songwriters? They take it to a whole other level. Lee is by far my favorite songwriter. He is telling you a story, those words you are singing along to actually MEAN something to him. How amazing of a gift is that? He is sharing that with us and it’s beautiful. I think a lot of people overlook the details, they get reeled in with the melodies and stay there, but it’s the lyrics that draw me in. Always have. It’s the details that mesmerize me, the story behind them.
This is why it is so important to me to “get “ Lee’s music and illustrate his words in a way I hope shows I “get it”. That art is important to me because I am creating it out of 100% inspiration, but it’s even more important to me that they represent the lyrics accurately. Why? Because those lyrics he is writing are important to him.
If you think about it (and of course I do); when a musician does a cover song, there is probably a very personal reason why they chose it. Of course it could be just because they like a particular song, but my guess is that, that song probably means something to them personally. Don’t we all do that? If you have a favorite song, there is probably a reason for that, like in the last post. Or back in the day when someone made a mix tape for you… there is a reason why they chose each song, they are trying to tell you something.
This is why I love art and music, there is so much more to it than people think.
Did you ever notice that inside the "Frames" album cover... each one of those pictures in the frames represent a different track? I did, I noticed that almost right away. This is what happens when I listen to music, I go right for the lyrics because that is where the real story lives. So there is this article that I think you should all read:http://laminatedlyrics.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/lyrics-people-vs-music-people/
It’s about Lyrics people vs. Music people. There is a perfect quote in there from One Tree Hill that is probably one of the most perfect quotes out there: “Sometimes things find you when you need them to find you, I believe that. And for me it’s usually song lyrics”- Peyton Sawyer- One Tree Hill.
That is exactly how I feel. The author also mentions how she how she views lyrics as storytellers’ investigative clues into the artist’s soul. This author and I could totally be friends because… yesss… exactly!
Those lyrical "clues” are what sparks all those images in my head. I pay attention to every single word Lee writes into those songs then I add a little bit of me into them because I can relate so much. It’s always in the details. I bet after this, you’ll go back and listen to a song and you will hear it in a different way than you did before….I’d bet money on it.
As Pablo Picasso once said; “Painting is another way of keeping a diary”, there is so much truth to this, as an artist, that quote is legit. But what about songwriters? They take it to a whole other level. Lee is by far my favorite songwriter. He is telling you a story, those words you are singing along to actually MEAN something to him. How amazing of a gift is that? He is sharing that with us and it’s beautiful. I think a lot of people overlook the details, they get reeled in with the melodies and stay there, but it’s the lyrics that draw me in. Always have. It’s the details that mesmerize me, the story behind them.
This is why it is so important to me to “get “ Lee’s music and illustrate his words in a way I hope shows I “get it”. That art is important to me because I am creating it out of 100% inspiration, but it’s even more important to me that they represent the lyrics accurately. Why? Because those lyrics he is writing are important to him.
If you think about it (and of course I do); when a musician does a cover song, there is probably a very personal reason why they chose it. Of course it could be just because they like a particular song, but my guess is that, that song probably means something to them personally. Don’t we all do that? If you have a favorite song, there is probably a reason for that, like in the last post. Or back in the day when someone made a mix tape for you… there is a reason why they chose each song, they are trying to tell you something.
This is why I love art and music, there is so much more to it than people think.
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