Take an Immersive Dive into the World of Creators

The basic idea: I love Dan Roth's Creator Weekly newsletter on LinkedIn, which highlights what's trending, what's likely to trend, and the creators making an impact. Each week, he reminds me that we live in a society in which the role of being a "creator" is no longer limited to an elite few. As such, it benefits all of us to take far deeper dive into what it means to live, work and play as a creator.

Today, I'm sharing an upcoming example from my own community, one focused on the role of music and song in our society. But that's really just a starting point for a gathering that will be much bigger than that.

Why is it that music is so important to us? At virtually every major human gathering, songs capture—and intensify—the emotions that people are feeling.

And yet, for most of us, songs come from a source we do not understand. We sit outside of the birthing process, acting as consumers rather than creators. This excludes us from the magic as it happens, and prevents us from gathering lessons that have the potential to inform the ways in which we could bring creativity and collaboration to other aspects of our lives.

The Park City Song Summit seeks to change all that, by redefining the live music experience and providing an environment for musicians—and other creatives—to share, learn, and recharge their passion.

A bit more background: Summit organizer Ben Anderson is not interested in putting on mere concert. Early in our recent conversation, he tells me, "We've invited artists to stay for the whole week and to bring their families. We have also invited agents and managers and people from industry join us in this beautiful setting. Enjoy the beauty of the mountains and our trails, we tell them. Play golf, hike, do yoga, meditate. Enjoy the intimacy of our venues along Main Street. Come here and let the creative juices flow. Share, learn, experience and recharge."

Anderson wants the Summit to be a respite every year from now on for artists, industry veterans and music lovers alike. A huge part of the Summit is structured around what Anderson calls labs: intimate collaborative spaces in which the line between audience and performers fades and the creative process becomes far less of a mystery.

“There’s a lab about John Prine,” explains Anderson. “A lab about painting. A lab on songwriting. A lab on poetry writing. A lab on the history of rhythm. A lab on (the remade film) A Star is Born and its writers being interviewed by its producer. A mental health/recovery lab as it relates to artistic expression.”

Anderson has banned the F-word, and it's not the word you think.

"This is not a music festival," he proclaims again and again. "This is a place in which creatives can come and express themselves and have a respite from normal touring. They can utilize our mountain town to share and recharge and learn. For sure, there will be traditional performances. But in many cases they're going to be performances by people who you just heard speak in a lab. You will understand far more about the impactful moments in their lives and how they end up moving through this creative funnel from the ether to the song."

The Park City Song Summit takes place September 8-12 of this year. Tickets and a variety of passes go on sale this morning at 10 a.m. MT.

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Bruce Kasanoff is a social media ghostwriter for entrepreneurs. He lives on the side of a mountain in Utah.