Hey y’all,
This is the first blog post I’ve ever done or attempted to do. So, please forgive me as I develop my sea legs here…
So there’s been a lot of change going on around here on the Ryan Herrick interwebs. New site. New album. New blog. And so on! It’s all very exciting, and I will be sharing all of the exciting news as it comes.
I thought that for my initial blog post, I might talk about my inspiration for music and where it all comes from.
For me, music is a place of letting go– A space of freedom to create and explore; but most importantly, it’s a place to allow. A place where I can let the daily toils and thought patterns of my own ego fall away and allow for inspiration.
It’s a lot like energy work; that process of letting creativity and healing “flow” right on through you, just like a channel. It’s been my general approach to songcraft, and I find that when it comes to finding some semblance of peace of mind in the music business world– where “Identity” and “Brand” carry so much emphasis– it feels much more comfortable to understand that I am merely an open channel for Source inspiration. In that sense, I’m not a musician, really. I just heard Trixie Whitley mention in an interview on CBS this morning, “I am more of an impressionist… [vs. being a classically trained musician]” I truly think that’s a perfect way of putting it. A channeling impressionist of sound… or something like that. It’s a way of keeping my own songwriting honest, too.
“Ego” can be a tricky bastard sometimes, but as long as we are living in a three dimensional reality where we experience the world through an individual set of eyes, the ego is inevitably going to find it’s way into everything we do. But it’s not a bad thing! It’s our filter for beauty, expression, and experience! And I guess in the terms of my own ego in music, it is what informs my playing styles, musical genres, likes, and influences. It’s the “Character”.
And as for my own process for songwriting– it has tended to be a meditative process, one rooted in unearthing the unconscious. It’s a matter of picking up the guitar or whatever instrument is around, and riffing and grooving on it. Then, usually, the melodies and the mumbles start. And from these sounds, words find a way to come through.
So I guess I’ll conclude my musings for now; just thought I’d offer a little glimpse into “where it all comes from”.
Like I said earlier, there are a lot of new and exciting things coming, and I will be announcing a release date for my new album, “One”, very shortly.
Talk then.
Namaste,
Ryan