Creativity is the Voice of Spiritual Expression

Every piece of music, every photograph, every word I write begins by aligning myself with silence. Silence for me takes me to the source, that place from which all things emerge.

Call it the muse, spirit, call it point zero, it doesn't matter. Every idea is fuelled by the desire to create. When the mind and heart converge with that idea we automatically begin the process of drawing it further into reality.

In other words, we just do it.

Each day I feel the excitement of creating something with more challenges, more exploration, with greater reflection. My thoughts move through my Haudenoshaunee culture as I ask myself, how do I express ancient stories and contemporary beliefs within the context of sound and music?

What are the visual expressions that drive home the music?

What does that even mean?

I am always creating new music. This current project is an interdisciplinary montage of creation stories, prophecies, and climate change converging into one exhibit of music, sound and visual art.

When commissioned to work for someone else as in music for film the work revolves around someone else's schedule and ideas. This project revolves around my own.

I have been considering and designing this project idea for a very long time.

It has given me time to delve more deeply into stories, opinions, and conversations with people. While doing that I have been exploring and creating art pieces that visually express and align with the music and sound. Ultimately, it is a focused collection of audio and visual work.

Since I grew up on the Reserve hearing so many prophesies I began to consider how they are unfolding before us. Earth's changing climate was prophesied and as we build a future on this planet we are affected and driven by everything and everyone that came before us. For the Haudenoshaunee, it begins with our stories of the sky world.

How do I express all of that in sound and musical form?

Up to now I have been creating and developing each musical piece using my own ideas and working with very talented musicians. Using various mediums I materialize my vision of those significant movements to support the score. Field recordings of various sounds are adding to the mix.

This month I am working with several women singers to delve in more detail. Exploring sounds and voices through individual and collective vocal illustrations is one of the most fun and interesting ways to catapult ideas into reality.

Stay tuned for more on this project. A special thanks goes out to the Ontario Arts Council for their support.