**UPDATE** Circle of Inspiration

Hello everyone!

On my last post, I talked about the circle of inspiration and Jess (@jessk2489) turning one of Mare’s poems into song. Guess what? I have that link for you to see! I apologize getting it to you so late, but life just gets so crazy sometimes!

 

Anyway, Let me start off by saying that it is no short of amazing!

You can listen to the song and view the video here: 

http://youtu.be/HyZD2Tq2Gqk

**unfortunately you have to actually click on the actual link above, not the picture.**

 

Poem/ Lyrics:

Who am I

Tell me what you see

Define me by my face

Tell me what to be.

 

I know what I am

You see the good side

I'll never show you

Cause you can't love what I hide

 

Give me your words

Feed me with praise

Beneath the facade

A black soul is crazed

 

Believe what I show you

Empower the lies

Behind this mask

Is all you despise.

 

Below is a message from Jess, about being inspired to turn these words into music and also how her boyfriend Bill came to sing the song:

“I read Mare's poem and instantly felt like I was in it. The moment I read it, I heard the song in my head. I picked up my guitar, and within 2 minutes had written the chorus of the song. It came so natural and easy. It was like breathing. I finished writing it, but I did not like how my voice suited it. I wanted it to be darker and lower and thought it would be cool to hear a guy sing it. Well lucky me, I have a boyfriend who loves to sing, and I asked him to do it. He loved the idea, and we shot the video that afternoon. The whole thing just came so easy. It is amazing to see how all this inspiration and creativity flows from person to person. “

 

Isn’t that amazing? I mean, Mare wrote the poem, so I cannot imagine how she must feel about it…but knowing how inspiration hits me personally…. I totally get it and am amazed. Awesome Jess!!!!! And kudos to Bill for being so happy to do this!!!! You are a good man!!! 

Want to know what Mare thought?: 

"When I decided to post some of the things I write, I really didn't expect them to be read. I also have this "thing" about people reading what I write because it lets people "see" me. I decided to stop being afraid of that all the time and just put some things out there. After this particular poem, Jess messaged me saying she had done something with it and hoped I didn't mind… and included the video. MIND?! I watched the video and I cried. Someone thought enough about my words, heard what I was saying, heard me, and allowed me to "hear" what my feelings or thoughts sounded like. What she created was her own interpretation, and at the same time… she got ME right. I was floored and speechless. I inspired a song?! I still don't have any words for how that makes me feel, but it DID inspire me to keep writing and sharing… because maybe, just maybe, I was inspiring someone else. All I know is, this ever-stretching circle means the world to me. ~Mare"

 

I’d also like to share with you another example of the circle growing…. Thea (@allofTHEAbove90) wrote this beautiful piece for Lee:

 

Just in case you cannot see all the words on the picture, you can also read it here:

 

  

“Entering into the darkness of dingy rooms and dark saloons, my place amongst it all was unknown. Maybe I didn’t belong here, but I forgot these thoughts as every doubt left my mind, trying to escape this reality. As I stood in front of judgment and opened my mouth, a slew of thoughts and emotions filled the room to the tune of my very existence. They talked and they laughed and they judged as if I wasn’t just pouring my heart out for the world to see, but rather spilling the words to have them be repeatedly trampled on, nothing. I stared down at the floor, maybe just old, but clearly layered with dirty memories of self-doubt and broken dreams. Looking up suddenly, my attention caught soulful eyes and listening ears and a breathtaking halo of light overwhelmed the darkness. Suddenly my words mattered, as four lips moved and moods lifted and the dimmest glow of hope was imprinted into my heart. Quality over quantity.  She will never know what she did for me that night. Not faceless, but nameless, not just listening but feeling the words, hitting hard at the core of her being. All that mattered was that it mattered. Thoughts were not lost in a sea of carelessness, but found in an indescribable realm of purpose. Words were not enough. By Thea”

 

 

I love it!!!!!! And I wish I had the time to feature everything people create and the things they do because Lee inspired them! Maybe going forward I can spotlight a fan once a month, maybe do it interview style and share what they’ve done? Hmmm… that might be a good idea!!!!

 

I hope you enjoyed these two examples of how this circle of inspiration continues to grow…. Thank you Lee, for inspiring such beauty simply by doing what you love.

 

-Jenn

 

"The Circle" & Sweet Serendipity

 

Talk about Sweet Serendipity... This post started off in one direction... And fate took it in another, and another…. It seems like when it comes to being inspired by Lee…that always happens. That being said, I thought I should post it before it evolves again.  It’s like a snowball effect of awesomeness.

 

We all know that I am inspired by the music, lyrics and voice of Lee DeWyze. Every lyric to every song that comes out of that beautiful mind is perfection. Words cannot describe how excited I am to hear more new songs from Lee. 

So what does being inspired actually mean?

 

In my opinion and experience, when you are truly inspired by something you feel it in your bones, a physical reaction from deep down, like it’s what you are supposed to be feeling.  It happens without warning.  It occupies your entire mind leaving no room to think about anything else, you are passionate about it and it’s effortless. Intense, right? Yup….. You cannot TRY to be inspired. When it is legit, it just happens and it is, in fact, intense.  If you are reading this thinking I am being a bit dramatic, then you in fact have never felt what it’s like to be truly inspired by something and it’s nearly impossible to explain it accurately.  Can you imagine being that effected by one person’s voice? To have their words and music actually reach your soul? It is an amazing feeling and it’s even more amazing to connect with others that get it.

 

I have mentioned before about the “Circle of Inspiration” when Mare, my sister and I did the visual review posts for the “Frames” album. Lee is my primary source of inspiration, but when I hear people being passionate about what I created and that it inspires them to create…That butterfly effect of inspiration almost explodes into MORE inspiration.  Back when Mare and I worked together on the visual review and we talked about the circle of inspiration, I had a sketch idea to create that circle... Lee playing, my hand PAINTING that image of Lee playing and Mare writing. Mare has said in the past that it's been hard for her to share what she writes. Well recently, she has begun posting her poems. She's said that part of the inspiration for her comes from watching us allow people in to that vulnerable art world, and finally feeling safe enough to share. That and her writing inspired me to revisit that initial sketch idea and to bring it to life because it symbolizes this massive bond and friendship that has been created from us creating.

 

"The circle"

A world's been created 

Fed by one, all along

A musician, a writer, a painter 

All inspired.... by song.

The musician creates 

This world from his heart 

The words and the notes

Inspiring art.

 

The painter who sees 

His notes and his words

Bringing to life

What she has heard.

The writer who feels

The meaning behind

His songs and her pictures 

With her soul and her mind.

Together this circle

Is fed by each other

Heart, gut and soul

Music, feelings and color.

 

...amazing right?!?!?! Mare wrote this about the circle of inspiration we are in. Lee writing...singing and playing...that inspires me to create...inspiring her to write.... It's magic!!!! And we were so excited to share this with you!!! 

I love discussing my ideas with Mare because she seems to “get it”; she can see my vision almost immediately. Sometimes I’ll try explaining an idea to Mark or someone else and I get just a blank stare and a shrug, but she gets it. And then the way she has with words when she is excited about it just inspires me even more! Have you ever read some of the stuff she writes? As I mentioned above, this past week on Twitter, Mare posted some poems she had written. They hit close to home, and I think a lot of others felt the same. Right?  I know I have said this before, but I have the utmost respect and admiration for songwriters and poets.  Kind of like Lee’s Lyrics, that is what they reminded me of….. A song or a poem comes from deep within a person…. It’s them being totally vulnerable, letting you in…making you feel exactly what they are feeling. In my case, making me feel it in my gut, inspiring me to create a world for those words to live in.  It truly is magical.

 

As this snowballed, another Lee fan and friend- Jess ( @jessk2489 ) had always been inspired by Lee, playing guitar, sometimes covering his songs. As Mare was posting poems, one spoke to Jess and she put Mare's words to music she created, and surprised Mare by sending her the video. Mare was so touched that someone was inspired enough to put her words to music, she emailed me all excited. We had already been talking about this post and how Lee inspires so many people that it just goes on and on and here was another example! Maybe someday Jess will share it. :-) 

Inspiration is hard to define, but as the circle continues to stretch outward, I thought this picture was a start. I know that Lee and his music give so many the urge to be creative in some form because his music makes people feel.... And that's where inspiration starts. 

 Thank you for reading this! Now time to re-tweet, post on Facebook, etc... Share with the world this gift that Lee gives us, just by doing what he loves. 

- Jenn & Mare

It all started here....

Ok, so I was listening to my ipod on shuffle today and I keep hearing Lee's version of "The Boxer". I get serious Goosebumps and all kinds of emotions when I hear this version of this song for a few reasons:

 1) it’s the first song that Lee did on Idol that actually made my heart skip a beat and physically affect me ( it still does) it's the perfect balance of his voice, the arrangement & the lyrics that just put this spell on me. It actually touched my soul. Simon & Garfunkel are amazing songwriters, but I truly believe Lee made this song his own and there's no other way to listen than with his voice. Lee's voice is just so beautifully masculine.. It tells that particular story better for me. I FEEL it. I BELIEVE it.

2) It was this song I was listening to when I had the very first URGE to paint from his voice… a strong one. My original intent was for that first painting to be for "the boxer" but I could never get the sketch to look right….trust me... I tried. I did sketch after sketch and threw them all away. None of them showed you exactly what I wanted them to.

I decided to resurrect this project because the feeling I first got from this song not only still exists...it's a million times stronger.  

When I hear it now,  I get all those feelings, but then I get this overwhelming  feeling of happy because back then...I hadn't seen him live yet, I hadn't met him yet, I didn't have twitter, I hadn't done a single sketch....and to think of how far I've come? 12 live shows later, over 300 images I've created inspired solely by that voice....I'm truly amazed. Not to mention the incredible people I've met... I couldn't ask for more. 

I put so much of myself into this art from the very beginning because I've been truly inspired by this amazing talented musician. 

...that's all... I just felt like sharing .... 

Hope everyone has a great weekend 

-Jenn 

Lee is on the road!!! Tour dates & other cool stuff

Hello everyone! 

Exciting News! Lee DeWyze has released new tour dates and has tweeted that there are more to come!!!!!!! He is currently in the Midwest, but making his way this way!

**This was created by Lee, not me

Keep up to date by checking Lee’s Website for more dates as they are released!: http://leedewyzeofficial.com/

Knowing Lee DeWyze is on the road traveling makes me incredibly happy and excited.

Why am I so excited you ask? It’s funny because I have seen him live many times and there are some fans out there that can double, even triple my number!

What keeps people going back for more? What makes people travel across the country to see this one person perform? The answer is Passion. You can see it in him, every. Single. Time.

I grew up going to concerts, As a matter of fact I am sure I mentioned this before, but I was taken to my first was when I was 6, I was in 1^st grade. Skid Row & Bon Jovi. My parents were very much into music, especially rock.

My dad played bass in several bands, supported friend’s bands, worked the sound boards, played roadie and even wrote a couple songs… you name it. So I wonder where I got my love of music from? Anyway, I can not even count the total number of concerts I have been to in my life. Heck, I saw the band LIVE 23 times alone!

You know what though? No other concert gives me the same feeling as I get when I go see Lee perform. My favorite shows are when you can see the fire in Lee’s eyes when he is performing- you can feel that he is putting 100% of himself into it and joking in between songs and telling stories… in that moment, it is honest to God my favorite place to be….

I have read several articles that talk about touring not making sense for indie artists today because social media is more effective. I disagree with this. Nothing beats seeing someone perform live… you SEE their passion, you SEE the gratitude on their faces…. Sometimes you can tell they are tired or homesick, of course…. That is natural… but at the end of the day, they are traveling the world sharing there gift with the very people that support them and share that passion. No amount of tweets or face book posts can top that. 

No matter what words you read on social media, they are just words until you can see the sincerity on that person’s face, see the look in their eyes as they sing along, etc…. Touring is important for a musician.  When you go to a Lee DeWyze performance, he never does a song the same way… ever. I found a quote by Taylor Swift that I liked:

I like touring extensively because I think the more hours you spend onstage, the more you know who you are onstage.

-Taylor Swift

She is right because I know that as a fan, every time I see Lee on a stage, you can see him finding his place and it is amazing. He belongs there. Gosh, I love music…..

You know another quick story about music and my dad, Over x-mas I had the best conversation with him.

It started off with him talking about his Grateful dead tattoos. I have always knew he was a huge fan, but I found out that night that he saw them perform live 137 times and can remember every detail about every single one of those shows.

Now we all know I was raised by my grandparents and never had a close relationship with my parents, but that night was the first time in 35 years that I felt truly connected to my dad. To hear the passion in his voice when he talked about a certain guitar riff in a certain song…. We have something in common! It never ceases to amaze me what the power of music can do. I mean, it has connected me to so many people that have become a huge part of my life… I love that! I feel like I belong somewhere, people that love all the same things as me!

Ok, ok, enough mushy stuff!

How about an Art update?

I have completed and delivered my commissioned piece I was working on! It was for Annie and her daughters. I am so glad they loved it!

I have done a few sketches over New year’s while camping:

This was a picture that Jonna had taken of Lee and Bear. There was no way I couldn’t NOT draw that, right? Lol so with the permission of Jonna, I did it!

This is a piece from an awesome BoHo store I follow in Instagram. Lol I only had pencil & pen, so I used a Q-tip & blush for the color in the rose. 

They are called OfAMuse and they are in Texas. You should check them out, they have amazing home décor and clothes!

This was just a random doodle I did because I was bored and did not feel like drawing, but I did… I’m sure you know what I mean!

I did this while sitting at Owen’s swim practice. It was just a visual I got in my head from something I heard. And I am incredibly happy with the way it turned out!

This is my first sketch of Lee's new song "Stone"

And last but not least, While in the camper on our last night, I created this little guy and put it out on Instagram for people to help me name him.

After his name was chosen, I posted that I’d be doing another interactive drawing. This is still open, so please go find me on Instagram: @JennMHarding. I need 3 more “scenes” .. what happens to Reginald Boney III next?????

Go to Instagram to read the store so far and post your idea there!!! 

Other than this, Work has been incredibly busy, but I am looking forward to making more time for creating.

I am currently working with a local musician friend that I’ve known for almost 20 years. He is working on a solo album and I'm helping on the cover art concept. I am excited to share it with you when it’s done!

 Hope everyone enjoyed the post and will have a chance to get out to one of Lee's shows!!!!! Keep checking his site!!!! 

-Jenn 

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!

 Thank you to everyone that has followed me on this art journey!

Towards the end of the year life has gotten in the way and kept me from drawing or painting, However going forward into 2015, I promise to make more time for creating! I plan on having much more work to show you this year.

 

Thank you Lee DeWyze for creating the one single thing that inspires me. Words can not even begin to describe how excited I am to hear the music you have in store for us for 2015. Your voice is truly my favorite sound in the whole world, thank you for sharing it.

 

 

Speaking of the art and the music that inspires it, I have an awesome story to tell you about the hummingbird tattoo I got in Kentucky back in October. I had a whole post dedicated to it in mind, but then just got so busy!

 

As most of you know, I got a hummingbird with the word "muse" in brail in it on the inside of my right wrist. I wanted something to represent both the art and the music because it was so important to me, and I wanted it on my right side, the hand I create with…..

 

About a month after, I went to a birthday party for one of my son's friends and his mom was looking at my tattoo. She is an Acupuncturist, and was telling me how the placement is such a great spot for me as an artist because it's located on my Pericardium channel, meridian. It Stimulates energy and connects emotion and mind. It's a strong point: 

"The Pericardium has a powerful influence on the patient's mental and emotional states.  Its goal is to "create feelings of joy and/or pleasure for the emperor (Heart)."

Isn't that amazing? I love that stuff! Hopefully that will aid in my goal to create more work in 2015 than I did in 2014. 

I Also promise to post more because I have sooooo many great project ideas swimming in my head already! 

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!! 

-Jenn 

Why you should go to Tin Angel to see Lee DeWyze on 12/18/14...

Hello Everyone.

I’m sure you have seen I have been pretty busy promoting Lee’s upcoming show in Philly on the 18^th!  I am pretty excited about it because he rarely comes to Philly and The Venue he is playing, The Tin Angel is amazing. I love it there. It’s an intimate venue with cool art murals on the walls, I just dig the vibe! Not to mention the food down stairs at Serrano’s is amazing as well. You can see the menu here:http://www.serranophilly.com/menu.html

 

Who is Lee DeWyze?

Lee DeWyze is a singer-songwriter with music from his latest album "Frames" featured on multiple TV shows, including the hit The Walking Dead.

Lee's sound is Soulful, haunting and melodic.

 

Besides the venue and the food, why should you go see Lee DeWyze on December 18^th?

I will tell you why. Lee DeWyze is not just that “American Idol guy’, or that guy that plays guitar… He is amazing. He doesn’t let the music industry pigeon hole him into a cookie cutter pop star. He writes his own music, the way he wants you to hear it. I respect that.

When someone is genuinely passionate about something… It’s obvious. He puts his heart and soul into every song and makes you feel exactly what he felt when he wrote it. Every single lyric is hauntingly beautiful and explodes with emotional resonance that triggers the same emotion in you as you listen. And his vocals? If you do not already smoke, you will need to after hear his soulful raspy voice that we all know and love.

 

So I highly suggest you call Tin Angel or go online to order your ticket TODAY! General Admission is only $20.00 and VIP is $60.00. *when you make a reservation to eat downstairs at Serrano’s, you get choice seating for the show.

 

On December 18, 2014 Lee DeWyze will be performing LIVE @ Tin Angel.

20 S 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106

(215) 928-0978

 

General Admission & VIP tickets available here: https://tin-angel.seatengine.com/venues/tin-angel/events/5902/shows

Or Over the phone at (215) 928-0978

ORDER YOUR TICKETS TODAY!!!!

 

Open your eyes: It’s all in the details”...

So I am a person that is interested in the details. The "whys".... 

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.... 

This post is not about American Horror Story, but it DID make me think of my art and Lee's music. How? 

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.