YES WE CAN TOGETHER

In multiple tour stops, Courtney Barnett wore a shirt that said “Yes we can together”. It caught my eye as something that so suits her - an incredibly honest musician and lyricist who connects to her fans in a very Nirvana-like way. There is no bullshit with this artist. She lays it all out there and leaves it on the stage.

It’s the sentiment that I get from music, when it’s at its best and when I’m fully feeling the connection. I leave a show feeling like, “yes, we can…together.”

That connection is derived all the time in art: from a lyric, a painting, a movement or a scene that makes everything make sense. You have that “a-ha” moment, or a deeper understanding of something you didn’t get or maybe even consider before. 

One of my favourite lyrics is from Kim Harris’s song “Dust”:

Listen to the poets,
they’re right, but you don’t know it. 

I want to make it into a bumper sticker. I want to write it in the sky. I want to translate it into every language and have it sung in schools by choirs of children.

Just before the end of 2015, I returned from a four month pilgrimage to one of the largest music markets in the world, Los Angeles. I spent most of my time learning about digital music marketing, audience development, artist branding and how to “move the needle” in an industry that has become a 24-7 all-consuming beast. I can now, with confidence, guide artists through the digital age with strategy, without totally losing their minds about having to post on social media.

However, my time away from my family, my friends and my Halifax home did something else for me: reinforced the importance of art and the connection it makes. 

After seeing dozens of live shows, seeing outstanding dancers, visiting incredible art museums, like The Broad and Noah Purifoy’s outdoor museum (below), I felt my cup spill over with joy, love, energy, understanding, empathy and wisdom.

So many people in my region are depressed because of a recent blow to the creative industries. So many have left because of lack of work. But still, there are some remaining in this beautiful, atrophying province, struggling to make a living, doing what they love. I find myself in this last category: hanging onto the dream of making a difference, working with artists, to create change in our world.

Yes we can. Together.

My guiding principle for my work and developing my business is helping to identify the inherent soul-baring value of the artist and facilitating their art to the masses. Something attempted a million times before me and a million times after. I’m dreaming big about making that connection for you.

But how can I reach the non-believers? The skeptics? The people that would cut art programs first from a budget? How do we build understanding of art? Empathy for artists? How do we make them feel that connection?

I know artists will always make art. A true artist cannot help but channel and produce the story emitting from their brain, the sculpture moulded by their hands or the chord sung by their heart. But if we restrict art for only the artists, we are restricting our evolution and diminishing our empathy. We are also denying our own creative selves.

Making the connection happens one person, one moment at a time. We just need to create the environment for it to happen. And if you are a lover of art, you know this is an effective start:

1. Experience art.
2. Love art.
3. Share art in a meaningful way with someone else.
4. Help them understand what you get from art and ask them what they think and feel.

But it’s truly important not to forget the layers of connection that makes good art sit with you for days, weeks, even years. It reminds me of the layers or sheaths in yoga, called Koshas:

When you get to the wisdom/bliss levels of connection as a result of art, I truly believe you’re on your way to world peace. Seriously.

Before I get too ‘hippie’ on you, let me throw in a quote from Steve Jobs to bring your head back to business:

I think the artistry is in having an insight into what one sees around them. Generally putting things together in a way no one else has before and finding a way to express that to other people who don’t have that insight.

See? Even the most successful business founder in the world recognizes the value of art. Making connections. YES WE CAN TOGETHER.