Fireside Chat

Artist's Statement
          Last Thursday night was a night I will not likely forget. There were so many wonderful performances. I found it interesting that the climax of this class would lead up to this live event instead of some media piece like we have been doing all semester, but then a quick look back on what we learned and discussed in class reminded me that storytelling is in all actuality a performance. Whether that be around a campfire, on the stage, in a song, or even a book, it is at its core an element of performance. I had so much fun listening and watching my classmates who did an excellent job in making me laugh, think, and feel more sympathy for some less fortunate people. I brought my brother and sister-in-law along with me and with very little explanation beforehand they seemed to catch the idea of the night quickly. We as "film majors" (although that is not really what we are) sometimes get caught up in the technical stuff but that night was a tap on the reset button and a reminder that what we really are is storytellers.
          I had a difficult time preparing for this and even coming up with an idea, but one very late night I remembered that many beautiful and renowned pieces of art have been about writer's block itself. I then went to work writing in song the very emotions of that late night. It was a blast expressing myself in very simple and straightforward terms. I can been practicing a song called Angelina by Australian folk guitarist Tommy Emanuel and had some of the cord progressions stuck in my head, so I gave them a twist of my own and added a bridge or two and suddenly a legitimate song emerged! Who would have thought writer's block could have been so productive! I certainly didn't.
         I had practiced singing with the prerecorded voices and guitar many times leading up to the night of the performance so I wasn't feeling too nervous... until my time was coming up. I don't usually get stage fright, but the success of the night and being the last one up must have got to me. Fortunately the song is pretty sedate and when I started singing the tense feelings started going away. I'm glad I had this opportunity to tell my story in a live setting. It was an awesome night.

by popular demand I am posting a recording of the song. I call it Midnight Creative Juice. Enjoy!
it should be downloadable as well if you were wanting a copy.

Concerned Citizen

Artist Statement 

The Master of the universe, He who has, “all power…in heaven and in earth” (Matt 28:18) still took the time to meet with people on an individual level.  He met with those who were despised, sick and otherwise afflicted.  He showed mercy upon sinners, rebuked those who were quick to judge, and instructed those of higher social standing.  He has the power to instantaneously administer to the cosmos as a whole, but has always decided to work with individuals and be personable with the one.

Most individuals do not have the momentum backing them up to invoke large social change.  There is nothing wrong with that.  The fact of the matter is that all different types of people are needed to create a working community, and some are needed to direct the masses while others are to administer to others on a one-on-one basis.  If everyone who was capable would do that, we would all have someone helping us.  No one would go forgotten.

It seems to me that the elderly often feel forgotten.

Our concerned citizen didn't start out playing music hoping to someday perform for old folks homes.  He started learning how to play the penny whistle just for his own personal enjoyment.  He had already participated in multiple performances before his first concert for a group of senior citizens.  The warm reception he received made him aware of how important it was to bring a little culture, a little human contact, a little spark of Christian service to these people who are otherwise generally cooped up and separated from the world and community as a whole.  It was enlightening and invigorating and ended up changing his life for the better.

            As was mentioned in Goldbard’s, Human Rights and Culture: From Datastan to Storyland, the right to culture was defined as such in 1948, and has largely been granted to the public by artists.  Much like the diagram you drew on the board, art (or media) has a give and take relationship with culture and civilization.  Artists either create according to their perception of the world, or how they think the world should be, and the recipients of their messages then have to decide how to respond.  In other words, as long as others perceive their words, artists are constantly either capturing and/or creating culture.

            Blaine Elliott’s band Tullymore is doing just that.  They have not written any original songs.  They capture culture based upon what other artists created before them.  But, because the music they play is not current and mainstream, the echoes of the past create a new culture for the hearers, and they appreciate it.

            We often associate well-known humanitarians with real service, such as Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa, or more recently President Thomas S. Monson. While they certainly have made huge contributions to society in their efforts, that does not lessen the value of the common man's service. At the end of our piece we include a quote from President Monson. We did so not to sound didactic but to draw a clear connection between the works of a world-recognized leader and an average man.   

            Touching the lives of those around us is a divine gift.  There is much good we can do.  If God notices even the sparrow’s fall, nothing and certainly no one is without significance.  As we follow the examples of those around us, normal people who are just trying to lift the spirits of fellow beings, we will be emulating the Savior of the world.

Video