Creative Awakening

Hey Y'all,

It's December 16th, 2023, and the clock reads 5:38 am. Here I am, in my basement, a sanctuary where the early morning stillness envelops me. This is my time - a sacred space where I can think, send emails, immerse myself in music, and wrestle with my inner voice. It's a practice of self-love, a precious moment in the day dedicated solely to me.

Recently, during a trip to San Francisco, something remarkable happened. While watching "Black Art: The Absence of Light," I felt a surge of creativity electrify me, reigniting a spark that I thought had dimmed. You see, back in 2019, it felt like my creative flame had extinguished, and the aggressive passion that once fueled my music seemed to mellow with the birth of Sky. I had changed, and I was still learning how to motivate this new version of myself.

For a while, I had accepted this change, telling myself, "This is the new me. You're a father now; things are different." But that documentary stirred something deep within me. It might sound cliché, like a superhero rediscovering their powers in a movie, but that's precisely how it felt. And now, a project I dreamt up two years ago, which lay dormant for lack of creative drive, is suddenly alive with possibility.

This project, "Dear Sadie," is a tribute to my late grandmother, a woman who shaped my life in countless ways. It's for everyone who has lost someone dear, someone who inspired and shaped them. The concept is simple yet profound: a documentation of pure creativity and improvisation. I plan to bring together five specific musicians for a recording session where everything will be improvised on the spot. Guided by seven phrases, each symbolizing completion and wholeness in my faith, these sculptors of sound will create something entirely new, a reflection of who we are in that moment. Raw, unfiltered, egoless – just pure, unadulterated truth.

I can't predict how this project will sound, nor am I concerned with critical acclaim. What matters is the honesty of the art we'll create, a mirror to life itself. This endeavor will be captured on three levels: the music, of course, a video recording, and I hope to collaborate with a visual artist who can translate our energy onto canvas.

Sharing this project with you feels like a journey of immense magnitude, akin to scaling Mount Everest unprepared. It's a challenge that tests my endurance and purpose, but it's also a testament to my commitment to creation. This is my diary, as my mom would say, a place where I bare my soul and share my deepest aspirations.

And now, I turn to you. I'm curious about your creative journeys. What are you working on these days? Are there any big projects that have ignited your passion? And have you ever found yourself navigating through a creative block similar to mine? I'd love to hear about your experiences and the art that you're bringing into this world.

Take care, y'all, and keep the creativity flowing.

Later,

Darrian