how do we define creativity?
is it in a painting?
is it in music?
form, or expression?
the list can go on.
how about we start with the core of the word...."create"......or "to create".........something from nothing. I hear a lot of people, who say..."I'm just not the creative type". We are who we "declare" we are I guess in the long run. I have come to see creativity in most people, even those who do not even see it in themselves. I have also come to conclude that the biggest inhibitor to creativity, or the "honoring" of such is when we try to adapt someone elses expression into our own mold. We try to "relate" so closely with the piece, as if to define it, categorize it, understand it fully....................and in return, we only succeed in discounting, disrupting, or oppressing the creativity in return.
I have seen this first hand, expreienced it, done it. I came across this thought when poised with explaining my interest in world music. I don't speak a second language, I only know enough spanish to order a beer or piss someone off! But I have an extensive collection of world music, most of which, the lyrics I know nothing of what they are saying. But the music, the mood, the intent is still easily transferable from the artist to listener once I "give up" trying to figure it out. STOP THINKING IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND!
This is espcecially true with one particular artist. Lisa Gerrard. She is the female lead vocalist on the track "Now We Are Free" from the Gladiator Soundtrack. I was doing research to find out what particular dialect she was using and was startled, surprised...and yet inspired by what I found out to be true.....and a topic of much debate! Lisa, in this song as well as her albums, sings in a language all unto herself.......as in "NO KNOWN LANGUAGE".....she essentially allows the feeling of the music to drive the tense, syllables, tone of her voice......it is her own....and it is beautiful..truly. And yet, when you hear it, you can get the feeling she is singing to you in a language you should know already...............................its because you do. Somewhere, after about 1-2 yrs old, we were taught to form our sounds into the various languages of our cultures, but we have never gone far from the small infant that could only rely on the simplest of sound formations to understand and "feel".....happy, sad, empathy, distress, love.........the core of our very spirits.........she is singing to you at the very base level of your understanding, but in trying to classify and interpret...as we've been taught over the years, we are missing the point of her music and loosing the intent and beauty.
Lisa Gerrard's vocals are creativity at its core, not because they fit into some narrow definition that society(s) have placed on it....but because they(us) can't understand any of it, we don't hold the key to it, only she does. We are forced to listen on her terms and not our own, we have to..."think less to understand more"
Bill.
more artist to "just listen" to:
Ofra Haza (Love Song)
Cheb Mami
Ayub Ogata (Kothbiro)
