Generosity, intent, risk, and intimacy.
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Notes
Here: gift, “a connection transferred from person to person”
I: on the hook, human, connected to the piece of work
Made: effort, originality, skill
This: concrete and finite work, peculiar (not generic)
“The more we say [these words], and mean them, and deliver on them, the more art and connection we create.”
Thoughts
The phrase, “The work of a human” takes on a new meaning in this particular time, where AI-generated content is taking the world by storm. The notion that generative can create pieces that look or sound or feel like art—or, in some ways, even serve as art—is challenging and disruptive. But if art is about connection among humans, then it would need to be wielded in very particular ways, by humans, to build that connection.
There’s a lot more to say on that, but my main interest here is that I do seek to make connections through my music—and to be seen as the human connected to my music. I’ve experienced this before: when I was in The Reign, of course, we recorded and performed our music, so we could often say, “Here, we made this.”
But on a smaller scale, with the couple of songs (Josie, Color of the Pen) that I recorded mainly as a way to dust off my recording chops, I’ve also experienced that connection—with friends who heard the song, some students who wandered onto my blog, even someone I don’t know whose first name is that same as the song (Josie) and who shares my last name. (What are the odds?)
The key, of course, is continually and continuously making this. Thus the practice (which I’m slowly developing, even as I search for it.)
This series is meant to capture my thoughts as I work through Seth Godin’s The Practice. It’s a book with over 200 (very short) chapters, which I hope to work through and, I further hope, to implement over time.
If you’re interested in more of Godin’s ideas, or my thoughts about them, you can check out this collection of posts. Note that if you’re more interested in the former, you should probably get Godin’s book and read it yourself; my notes will be both incomplete and idiosyncratic, and my thoughts will relate to my own experience.
But if my thoughts resonate with you, or if you think I’m just silly, I welcome your comments.