Imagination… imagination is at the core of creativity. It seems that we’ve moved into an era where more often than not the story lines in songs owe more to non-fiction than fiction. This is not surprising because this has even become a trend in the literary world. Outside of the wonderful musical production(which I could go on and on for days about) part of the appeal of this classic soul track is the story full of imagery, full of imagination.
Reality is what it is: real. Music has often provided an escape(however temporary) from said reality. Given some of the options that persons pursue to escape reality, I don’t think that an addiction to music is all that bad for your health. I’m hoping that we get back to some of the more imaginative creations of music for both artists and fans alike. I think that it would be another factor in creating a healthy balance of what some may consider reality based music and music that speaks to the curious side of our nature.
Sometimes it is great to unplug, logoff, turn off or whatever you need to do to let your mind’s eye do some work. One of the best teachers of music I ever had would often have us close our eyes and listen to the music. When you do that you are not interrupted and your only influenced by the music itself. I don’t think that video only killed the radio star, I also think it had a profound effect on our musical imagination as well.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
