February has been super busy!!!! I feel like everything is changing so quickly all around me, so for the past month I have tried to be as still as possible and let everything shift around me without interfering too much. I’m kinda a type-A controller in some ways, so this hasn’t been exactly easy! As I hinted in an earlier post, Josh and I are moving to Athens, GA around July. We don’t have an exact date for the move yet, but the month of July intuitively feels like the right time for us. I’ll be graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in May, and that will give us two solid months of continued saving and planning before we go.
I’m incredibly, incredibly excited to move on to this new place and new season in my life (our lives!). I am thankful for the clarity that has slowly but surely moved into my life in my decision-making process over the past seven months. Working for myself has been the biggest growth experience I have had in about 15 years. But there’s some hard stuff too. There are a few more investments I need to make in my business to continue production at the same rate that I was, and to successfully move to Phase 2, but I feel reluctant to do too much more when we’ll be moving in four short months, and I don’t know yet where we’ll be or what Josh’s job situation will be. So for the next few months, The Soft Sunlight creative work will probably be on hold while we work some things out in preparation for our move. I’m not quitting, just working at a much slower pace while I complete my degree and take odd jobs here and there to bump up our cash flow for when we move. Moving is really our first priority this year.
I feel like it’s important to stay flexible and not to fight the current of your life. Emotionally I feel a little bummed that I don’t have unlimited energy, time and resources to do EVERYTHING I want to do ALL AT ONCE. As a creative business owner on a shoe-string budget, there are constraints here and there and so I’m doing my best to navigate around them without giving up. I don’t feel discouraged really, just impatient! I hope to get back to a more regular blogging schedule in March. Thank you for reading!
Most of my January was focused on rehearsing with my good buds Eric and Scott of The Brothers King / Paper Trees fame, preparing for a little show at Luna Star Cafe on January 31st. They both drove up from Miami a couple weekends ago to rehearse at my house, and after we were done, Josh and I drove them out to Hawk’s Bluff to enjoy the Savannas and explore the abandoned shacks hidden in the back.
I’m really happy to feature a musician for today’s Artist Interview – it’s been a goal I’ve had since I started this series. As a (casual, really) musician myself, I approach my own music differently than I do craft or other creative pursuits. When I sing or write a song on my guitar, it almost feels like I’m channeling some other kind of energy. When I watch my musician friends perform I am always in awe at how vulnerable and powerful it can be to open up your body to that creative flow. And a live music performance is always so ephemeral and NOW – focused only on the present moment and what needs to be expressed right then. It’s really something else. Ricky Kendall is a long-time friend of my partner Josh, and I recently got a chance to see Ricky play live at a tiny local spot when he last visited. This is someone who is clearly blessed and channels from a deep well of soul and inspiration when he performs! Ricky is an inspiring guy and I hope you love his thoughts below just as much as I do. Thanks Ricky.
Guitar/Banjo/Piano/Voice. I sort of learn all the instruments I pick up when I write songs. whatever instrument is right for a tune, I learn it just well enough to fit it to the song.
Describe where you’re at creatively right now.
I am always working on a few songs at any given time. I’m beginning to see songs as textures. Before I would have a lyrical idea and try to fit a musical progression behind it. Now I may just get a mood or a vague concept and then I just let sounds evolve and tell me what instruments and lyrics to put to the music. I also still get lyrical concepts before music, I just am a lot more careful and patient about what sounds I choose to accompany the song. Playfulness is important for me. I never want my material to come off so introspective that someone else can’t access it.
What does creativity mean to you and your life?
Music is the beginning. I think it’s a humbling thing to be a musician. There have been times I thought music was the end all, but when I started to think about it more, I realized that its the ultimate language and everyone knows how to understand it. So it’s often the beginning to a revelation or the ice-breaker in a conversation about the world. It could be the doorway to a spiritual awakening. I often think of myself as the sower of a seed in a garden. Someone else may harvest what I planted and I may not see it or even enjoy the fruits of the labor, but it’s all part of the process.
(photo by Aaron Stewart)
What are some sources of inspiration for you?
I am fascinated by people. People’s relationship to one another and to God have been at the forefront of my writings thus far. There are hefty portions of sorrow and joy in life. I’m getting more accustomed to painting soundscapes to convey emotions of all types. I have been very inspired by 1930′s era jazz these days. I love what the music devoid of lyric is able to do to my senses and the limitless pictures it can paint. Uses of horn and woodwind arrangements really get to me. I think I’m a ‘by-ear’ kind of guy. I mimic various forms of music, which is why I took up the mouth trumpet.
What are some challenges or difficulties you have faced related to creating work that is meaningful to you?
Money is always the thing for artists, isn’t it? So there’s that hump to get over from time to time. But on the more philosophical side, there are so many artists playing, painting, singing and dancing that the struggle is to be content to have the audience that is listening as opposed to always pushing so hard to be heard by more and more people. I’m very happy when anyone takes interest and is touched by this music.
What strategies or inspiration have you found to help you work through those challenges?
Heartfelt art is art that exists for one person at a time if need be. Staying inspired requires that I don’t chase after any sort of mass approval, yet as someone who loves to perform and become a seasoned/skilled artist, feedback is a critical part of the process. It’s a difficult balance to strike.
Any advice or words of wisdom you would like to share?
My father told me to always remain teachable. So I apply this to everything. I also have noticed that the happiest people I know are generally the thankful type, regardless of how much or little they have, grateful for those around them and happy to give of what they have.
(photo courtesy Onna Meyer)
All photographs and music in this post courtesy of Ricky Kendall, additional photo credits as noted. To hear more of Ricky’s music and find his records for sale, click here. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.
To read the complete Artist Interview series, click here.
I made good on my pledge to visit the beach once a week. Josh and I dragged out our largest blanket and hung out on the sand as the sun set behind us. It had been a long day and it was nice to snuggle up and relax for a little bit. The days are getting colder and I like it!
I’ve taken a weekend gig selling pepper jelly by a local maker: Two Friends Pepper Jelly. They are a wonderful little company to work for and spending my Saturday at one of the local farmer’s markets was soooooo fun. If you’re ever at a loss as to how to make someone smile, offer them a Ritz cracker with a little bit of cream cheese and pepper jelly on top! This little job is perfect for me right now because I’m in production mode, which is a little slower than usual due to my college schedule back in high gear. It’s nice to have a little extra income while I’m working so hard but not ready to sell!
I hope the Winter season is treating you well. Later this week I will be posting a new Artist Interview that I am reallllly excited about. Stay tuned!
Johanna and Josh visited us in Florida to escape the dreary Portland winter for a week. Around here, there’s a popular lifestyle brand called “Salt Life”, and just about every other car owner has a sticker on their rear window declaring their commitment to sun, fishing, watersports, relaxation…the entire “Florida lifestyle.” It’s kind of a joke in our house because…the whole sticker phenomenon seems a little silly to us (my mom has one on her car and we always tease her about it). Johanna and Josh unofficially named their vacation SALT LIFE because their only intention was to RELAX and lay out in the sun whenever possible.
It was like a mini-vacation for me too! I skipped classes and took off from working for one day so we could all go the beach and it was glorious! I really don’t get to the beach as often as I should so I think I’m going to make it a goal to get out there at least once a week for a walk, to read a book, take a swim… whatever I feel like doing! I never thought I’d be one of those people who takes the beach for granted, but…IT HAPPENED. And I am ashamed! Life just gets away from you sometimes. But no more. I am going to get out there once a week because it’s a shame to live so close and never go. Maybe I should take a photo and share it here each week, just to stay accountable?
image via 2lestudios on etsy
