renewal / gratitude
18 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Artfully
love + gratitude
I credit my resilience to the ideas that Love / Harmony is the Law, & that life is a work of art, nature is the Universe’s / Good’s work of art, and it’s our life’s mission to share & create all that envelops these lovely ideas. By its very birth & definition, it’s (re)creation, love of now, of then, of life, of progress. Of birth, rebirth, legacy, gifting, Grace. <3
Safe
08 May 2012 Leave a Comment
“The Buddha taught that there’s a very safe place we can come back to, no matter where we are and anytime we want. That place is the island of our true self. Within ourselves there is a safe island we can come back to, where the storms of life cannot shake us. Thich Nhat Hanh”
lost / nothing
16 Apr 2012 Comments Off
leave your sorrow outside the door just next to the shoes. if loving brings out the worst in you 'cause it hurts to think you are fully entitled to embrace that gift, hold it fast. that hurt is not my holy day we all shed layers and scales and "tales" eventually that's why i can truly say i am loving you and have lost no thing - <3 jmj 4/12
heart / beat
22 Mar 2012 Comments Off
in Beautiful & Yummy, Connection, General Ji
One of the reasons I really enjoy electronica, especially some of the lush sounds (house, ambient…and then industrial-influenced/darkwave beats, etc.) is because for all of its computerized sonic beats and bliss, dialed-in dissonance or meditative entrainment, much of the works that are produced are riddled with imperfections. Many house tracks (especially the earlier tracks) feature singers that are “out of tune” (according to the western musical scale only), one-take recordings, improvs and mistakes that became riffs, etcetera. I will always cherish that initial spirit, creativity, inspiration and tether that close to my heart. At the root of such improvs, samples, chords, strains, bleeps and runs is a tribal interconnectedness that reminds me of sweet, cherished humanity.
I giggle to myself a little when people ask me to or expect me to sing like Aretha, or Stevie, or the now current/diluted versions of such artistic superheroes, and find themselves a little disappointed when I don’t deliver, never having promised such a thing. Sure, you’ll hear influences. It’s in my DNA. Thank God/dess for that. I love these artists and many others, damn near every artist in *every* artistic medium. Love soul music, love Gospel, sang in Gospel choir as a kid. But I’ve got my own spin, and I’d have to visit a space that isn’t inherently authentic in order to mimic that style, though these artists influence me beyond words. Are we all jukeboxes? Or are we just vibin’ in juke joints? In between? You find the answer for (and ultimately only answer *to*) YourSelf.
Deep house, punk, electronica (pick a style, ya know) makes a lot of room for each artist to rock their own swag and work their own poetry accordingly.
I’ve finally come to see I’m more of a vocal painter than a singer. The more I realize this, the more fellow travelers inquire with me to work on richer and more soulful projects. #TrustYourSoul’sCalling #PickUpThePhone
Then, too, I marvel at the perfectly programmed tracks that are massaged into sounding “organic,” beats, sentiments, otherworldly elements borne of 0′s and 1′s. the same could be said of course about hip hop, etcetera. Drum and bass, pure drum tracks, what have you. Sometimes you gotta listen closely to hear it/remember it. If you like.
<3, jianda
