Inspiration Through Music

Music and inspiration are two components of life that are meaningless without each other. I discovered this notion while traveling Europe over the last couple of summers. Without music, my journeys would have been seemingly empty. While listening to a wide variety of musical genres I was able to capture the architectural and natural beauty of Europe with a more personal and unique perspective. My experiences were heightened and my emotional state of mind was elevated because of the music that I chose to listen to. I made decisions that I may not have without the inspiration from music. For example, while listening to The Smashing Pumpkins’ album, Adore, I felt courageous enough to take a dip in the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Before I ran with the bulls in Pamplona, I cranked up the volume to The White Stripes’ “Rag and Bone” from their album, Icky Thump. The music I listened to during my travels will always have a personal meaning that I will carry for the rest of my life.

While reflecting on my own personal inspiration through music, I began to ponder the artists’ inspirations. Are they driven by money? Are they motivated by their favorite artists? Are they encouraged by the satisfaction that is gained through the creation of their art? All of the above could be inspiration enough for any artist. I dove into the artist bios here at ArtiSans Label and found that the inspirations of our artists vary. Megan Bennett, singer/song writer of Rebel Heart derives her spirited rock music from her love of John Lennon. Tony T. Nguyen’s “Soundtrack to My Life” was influenced by his own life experiences, and his lifelong dream is to inspire and help others through art and music. David Ottestad of The Workday Release finds his inspiration through his faith in God. Barrett Slagle, freelance producer, summarizes his inspiration in one quote, “when an artist can be a true servant of the work, the work can be greater than the artist.” All artists have a drive to create their music through some personal motivation. The trickling effect that their music has on listeners is inevitable. Every component of their music can, in some way, inspire someone else to do things that they thought otherwise impossible.

As an intern at ArtiSans Label, I have been introduced to several aspects of the music industry. The most important aspect I discovered is that there are several opportunities for independent artists to successfully release their music. Artists can carry out what has inspired them, and in turn can galvanize others to go out on a limb and try something they never thought possible.

What's Your Music Addiction?

Music fans are like cigarette smokers, faithful to their brand. Hesitant to be the devil’s advocate here, but Philip Morris is genius in catering to addiction. When a band has solid and relatable music, an idiosyncratic identity and stage presence, we fans become addicted. We go further than simply listening to an album over and over again, we follow their shows, we talk about them, we wear their emblems, we read about them, we blog about them, we need our fix on every detail available! Addicted fans are like powerhouse public relations machines!

I speak from personal experience and the friends around me. My friends have tattoos of their favorite musicians! The Jen Creed herself knows details about Jason Mraz that his own sister probably does not know. (I had to ask Jen if Jason Mraz had any siblings…and she knew). She used to faithfully read his daily journal that he posted on his webpage. For instance, Jason Mraz wrote Sleep All Day about being a night owl because he went through his early 20’s staying up all night. Eventually he realized that he was missing the best part of San Diego, the sunrises. He decided to change his ways and wrote Who Needs Shelter. “Who needs shelter when the morning’s coming? Absolutely there’s no one. Who needs shelter from the sun?” He changed his thinking in his favorite city in the world; he became a morning person which led him to eventually tattoo a rooster on his lower back because they are the epitome of being an early riser. The Jen Creed has been an avid follower and introduces many people to the genius of “Live At Java Joe’s” and each one of them walks away with a sense of connection and inspiration. Check out one of Jen’s life changing addictions, Jason Mraz’s album, “Live At Java Joe’s”.

As fans, we will be faithful to musicians if you can captivate us and change the way we look at things, even if it’s only for a second. The music always comes first. An identity is essential, whether it is an insignia or your message to the world. What do you have to say to us? When this is established, we become accustomed to you, we become faithful to your brand, we are on the edge of our seats waiting to hear what you have to say next. And stage presence is self explanatory. Bring it to the stage each and every time and rock our socks off. That’s all we ask.

Get Out There & Do It

Hey Everybody! My name is Monika and I am an intern here at ArtiSans Label. I thought that, going into an internship here, I would have to slave away. You know... get coffee, run errands...wipe spit off of pop screens. Luckily AritSans Label is a company that cares about their interns, and actually gives the three of us here pretty interesting tasks that help us learn. Also, they have coffee that brews in less than 30 seconds.

I am a student at CSU Fullerton, studying communications with an emphasis in public relations. I am also a musician and have been singing forever and have been in choirs, musical theatre groups, a pop girls quartet, jazz choirs and bands, and I have been writing songs very recently. I know that I want a career within the music industry, and I am here at ArtiSans to continue finding my way down the path to a job in the music field! I'm also looking for inspiration for my music.

Here's the deal. I'm a new songwriter, and I'll admit it, I read a lot of books that could be considered creative "self-help" books. So if you can relate, here's what I am reading right now: "Popular Lyric Writing" by Andrea Stolpe, and "Living Juicy" by Sark. I put together a little motivational advice myself.

I often look for tips on "food for the creative soul" because I want to gain motivation and confidence in my art. I want to gain more confidence in my art so I can listen to what my gut is telling me-"you are going to be dry and cracked if you don't get out there and feed your soul with creative nourishment". I am teaching what I most need to learn.

Music makes the world turn. As musicians, music works its way into the depths of our souls, constantly feeding and nurturing our creative minds. We are to never stop being creative. Creativity builds and grows as we work hard in practice.

STOP MAKING EXCUSES, GET OUT THERE AND DO IT

1-Stop making excuses. Sure we have to-do lists, and e-mails to write. But we have the ability to choose the life we want to live. Reassess your priorities and do the things you want to do. Create your art.

2-It's OK to not be the best. We can't get down on ourselves because we don't write as many hit songs as the Beatles. Maybe we don't have the confidence and grooviness like Jimi Hendrix did. Relax, you have to start somewhere. And somewhere may be nowhere good. Create your art. You will see growth.

"Being an artist doesn't mean that you're a good artist. That was the bargain I first made with myself. "
-Paul Simon

3- Start a project. Whether it's writing a song, recording a song on Garageband, or going to play at an open mic, start getting out there and sharing what you've made. You will continue to grow in your talent and in confidence. Share your art.

You could start here...open mic hot spots:

1-Open Jam Night-Perqs in Huntington Beach
http://www.perqs.com/

2-Singer/Songwriters night-Marine Room in Laguna Beach
http://www.ocweekly.com/locations/marine-room-4292/

3-Open Mic night-The Gypsy Den in Santa Ana
http://www.ocweekly.com/events/open-mic-341503/

The New Music Movement

[Note: Every Sunday we'll be featuring a guest author. This week it's the one & only Smash. Enjoy! - Michael]

From artist to artist, fan to fan, mono y mono, we all know that the spark of today’s music industry is fading quickly. I wish for a venue like the Whiskey a-Go-Go in the late 60’s where they housed The Doors, Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash. So much talent and energy in one spot that it couldn’t be bottled or packaged into a neat little LP. Where are those venues with talent bubbling over? Where is that music movement that you know is special to be a part of? I can equate this yearning to Hunter S. Thompson’s description of the hippie movement in San Francisco: “San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant. . . . There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . .” What a great time to be a part of. We as fans need something palpable to grab onto and enjoy the musical ride.

However, I can look back at history and smile, because I’ve found that spark again. At this point, the music industry is changing at a rate that is hard to keep up with. Free internet radio is here, record labels are squirming in their plush seats, and experts predict cd’s will become extinct by 2012. It’s time to jump on the new music template; here at ArtiSan’s Label the focus is on the artist and their music. Artisans bypassed the convolution of traditional record labels and is bringing it back to the customer, where it should be. The spark is at Artisan’s and I’m happy to be a part of this counterrevolution at this juncture in time. Exciting things are happening here, amazing artists are recording at our studio, and the excitement is thick in the air.

I am an Artist Advocate for ArtiSans Label. I basically go out and spread the good word through their RADAR program. RADAR stands for Rewarding Artists Discovery And Referral. And if an artist signs with ArtiSans, then my efforts are financially appreciated. The great thing about this program is anybody can do it! Everybody knows an aspiring artist, and ArtiSans can help them achieve their goals, whatever they may be. Consider the possibilities! Check out the RADAR program on the ArtiSans website and become an Artist Advocate. Be a part of the new music movement.

On that note, I will bring the focus back to the music with another Hunter S. Thompson quote that we all can relate to.

"Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio."
— Hunter S. Thompson