Sleepless Dreams

In a conversation with a friend the other day, I said that an artist’s mind should always be several years ahead of the present. While I was working on Meeting of Minds I came to the realization that if I was going to release finished work, polished work to the public, my releases would never reflect the current state of my art. As I worked on getting all the tracks for Meeting of Minds recorded and mixed, I was already composing new material that is in my opinion more sophisticated than what was on my first release. I could have held back Meeting of Minds in order to infuse its tracks with that same level of sophistication, to apply all the lessons I had leared since starting it, but if I kept doing that, it would never be done I am always learning. Always finding new ways to improve, to be better.

So it was with that experience in my past that I made my claim – an artist should be way ahead of what he is releasing. Maybe I’m wrong to make such a sweeping statements about the criteria of being an artist. I do know that when it comes to me, that is definitely the case. I can’t help visualizing future endeavors. Ideas constantly run through my head. I want to make an album that is targeted at children – teaching them positive values – but that an adult could enjoy too. I want to make an album of short stories – each song is a story. I want to make an album where every song is inspired by some other song/story/painting/work of art that already exists. The ideas come faster than I can turn them into actual music.

My latest idea is for something that has already been on my mind. I plan to follow up Meeting of Minds with another electronic album. I already have rough/unfinished versions of some of the songs for it. I’ve thought about calling it Meeting of Minds 2, but that didn’t sem right. I want it to have it’s own name, but I also want it to be linked to that first album. Tonight, while I was lying in bed sleepless, it hit me! I think I’ll call it Harmony of Hearts, and the next one after that will be Subsistence of Souls . . . or maybe not. I’m going back to bed.