There’s no sense in hiding.
Rock n’ Roll Wonderland friend, Hopefully, this week’s newsletter will provide a bit of a boost for you to do something magical….whether that be reading a new book, going out to see a local show or attempting to bake something without burning it to a crisp. I’m spending less time on social media and building my own picture feed on my website. Might create a post-of-the-day option too…..like Song Discovery of the Day. Wouldn’t that be cool?! In last week’s episode of Electric Radio Club titled Shoot for the Moon, the playlist theme was inspired by the movie, Dolemite is My Name. An idea for a playlist emerged after watching the film and I had filed this idea away in my brain to write about how I found it relatable. The first song I added to the playlist was the song by Teddy Pendergrass, You Can’t Hide From Yourself.
Understand who and what you are
Before you can go any further You can lie all you wanna But one day you're gonna, gonna break down Break down and let it all out You can't hide from yourself Everywhere you go, see, there you are -Teddy Pendergrass
This film is based on a true story about the comedian and movie star, Dolemite.
I thought it was just going to be another slap-stick comedy but I was wrong. Yes, it’s a funny movie with an amazing cast but it’s really about the artist's sacrifice. All the things artists do to make their vision come to life like all the DIY, the marketing, perfecting the craft, the rejection and taking the road less traveled. (I relate all too well.) Above all, it’s about banishing self-doubt. (Still working on this) When you believe in yourself, things fall into place and others will believe in your dream too. “Shoot for the moon and if you miss, hang on to a m*thaf*kin star"
Speaking of the artist's journey,
I’m not sure if I ever mentioned that my art is influenced by repurposing items like painting on thrift store jackets and making jewelry from found objects. So it’s no surprise that I'm an advocate for Earth Month. My journey into video art began during the pandemic. I was playing around with stop motion video, taking random trinkets from around the house and moving them bit by bit to create a mini-film. I created this short video titled, Metamorphosis, to satisfy my need for the spring season and also to spring back into reality from the pandemic. 
film still from my stop motion, Metamorphosis
The creative collaboration website, Hit Record, created by Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a plethora of projects and ways to create with other artists. I love the weekly prompts and creative calls for so many projects.
For fun, I submitted my little stop-motion video about a butterfly emerging from some leaves. Several months later, I received notification that my stop motion would be used in a video about Climate Change along with several other creative folks. (My stop-motion is in the intro)
Seeing my name in the film credits sparked a validation I didn’t know I needed. That kind of validation of “Hey we see what you are making and we like it” sort of feeling.
I continued to create video art but the self-doubt emerges often when I submit my experimental video work to film festivals. I have no idea what it takes to make a Hollywood film and I‘ve never worked with a professional movie camera. My video art, Dazed in a Detour, was selected for a local film festival! I’ll be part of a Q&A session about experimental filmmaking later this month. More to come on that. 
Brian Eno is your fairy art godfather.
I am head over heels for Brian Eno’s new book, What Art Does. I mentioned this book in last week’s episode of Electric Radio Club about not dimming your light and recognizing the “art” that everyone brings to the world. Eno provides theories about art and the feelings art unearths from how we cut our hair to the handles of screwdrivers to song melodies. It gives illustrated examples that art is everywhere and everyone is creative. So why would you tell an artist not to be an artist? Here’s a short video about his inspiration for the book. I hope it lands in the hands of every aspiring young artist. 
It ties back to the Teddy Pendergrass song, you can’t ignore who you are. There’s no reason to hide your true self.
So why listen to someone who discourages you from being yourself? Can you relate? 
Speaking of paths,I’m talking to Mandy Tamm (she/her) of Rare Originals this week on Electric Radio Club and the songs that made an impact on her life.
We chat about Mandy’s time working during the start-up days of Spotify, seeing Pink Floyd perform at Pompeii and how she is helping artists working as a freelance music consultant. Listen to the broadcast on Monday, April 7th at 7 pm CST and/or Saturday, April 12th at 11 am EST on www.em-radio.com. You can also listen on this handy dandy app called Radio Cult. Just download to your phone, search for station ElectroMagnetic Radio at the time of the show and play away! The episode will be available for streaming later on Mixcloud. All for now. Comments are closed.
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