In early October, I was teaching a Songcrafting Our Stories class at the Vashon Flute Gathering and the book Steal Like and Artist by Austin Kleon came up as we talked about giving ourselves permission to make our own art. I was thinking about that class this morning as I wrote in my journal and it led me on a deep dive into exploring my own musical journey to see what makes me tick as an artist. I know it's seems like such a self-examination is a weird thing to do but sometimes exploring the hows and whys of making our art can be helpful in seeing our trajectory and progress. More importantly, it also allows us to give ourselves permission to just go do the thing whether it’s making music or making the perfect cappuccino. It’s my hope that you can catch some little nugget and run with it. 

 Just recently, I bought a copy of Steal Like An Artist for a second time. It’s a brilliant and fun read that gives you 10 steps to find your own voice in whatever it is you do for art and share that with the world. I owned this book years ago, then gave it away. I’m glad it’s re-entered my life because in re-reading it, I’m reminded that it’s ok to make messes, be imperfect, be a beginner, remember to take a look back along your path to see any progress (also to remind yourself that you’re an artist), and to just go with the flow and see where it takes you. It's also encouraged me to write this blog and kick it out the door to share my own creative process and not just sit on it.

After reading chapter two in this book about finding who you are through imitation of others, I took a moment to look at my own influences and how they have played a role in the work I’ve put out over the last 20 years of being a professional musician. Then out of pure curiosity, I made a list for myself to see how many bands, artists and styles of music I’ve been inspired by in my journey. They are:

 Sigur Ros, Enya, Moya Brennan, Lisa Gerrard, Azam Ali, Dead Can Dance, Hans Zimmer, Qawwali music, Sufi music, Nordic and Scandinavian folk songs, Aurora, Yaima, Jonsi, Danny Elfman, Mari Boine, J.S. Bach, Middle Eastern drum beats, African drum beats, Billie Eilish and Finneas, the list goes on. 

It’s this wide range of music that has offered me such a rich palette of sounds I can draw from to express an emotion, a story, a feeling a mood, etc. In the process, it encourages and inspires me to take deep dives to excavate and find those sounds that feel like pieces of treasure and little jewels that I can share. THIS is what I live for. That luscious curiosity that leads to this inner world to discover found things of beauty.  But I couldn't do this kind of work without the bands and artists that I listen to and love. I am ever grateful they put their work out there to both listen to and learn from. 

All of this is to say it’s ok to borrow from other artists as long as it helps you to find your own voice and you’re open to learning the what, how and why from them. Similarly, it's a treat when someone comes up to you and tells you how they've copied what you did and what they learned about their own process.  It definitely makes you feel seen and appreciated enough to have them spend their time picking your stuff apart to see what makes it tick. To have that inspire them to do their own thing is the icing on the cake. We then become a part of something much larger than us. It’s like being a part of a never ending symphony of humanity that we can add our voice and expression to. So, it’s here I would like to encourage you to find artists who inspire you and learn from them. Find out what makes them an artist. Emulate that. Find your own voice. And if you’re willing, share it. You never know who you’ll inspire in the end.  

If you would like to check out Steal Like an Artist, you can find it here.  

And while you’re at it, you can also check out the companion book Show Your Work. 

As always, thank you for reading. I hope you find this helpful somehow in your creative journey! 

Take care of yourselves and of each other. 

Much love, 

Pam