Who Inspires You As a Creative Person?

As a music composer, DJ and musician; I strive to make creative works that will be remembered by you, the listener, later on in your day.  I try to avoid creating just another piece to be lumped in with the audible clutter of today’s creative hodgepodge.  My pieces are driven by bold melodies that invoke some kind of emotional response.  If a musical piece that I have put hours and days into doesn’t move me in any kind of way, I scrap it, and move onto another project.  I challenge myself to make chorus melodies more powerful than the project before, with equally catchy counter melodies for accompaniment on the verses.

            My favorite music producer, that in my mind does all of these things the best, is Jim Jonsin.  I’ve been drawn to Jim Jonsin’s work from the time I first started listening to hip hop.  Jim Jonsin is a music producer/songwriter that has multiple number one singles, and a Grammy.  In my mind the things that make his music so successful are things that we don’t consciously think of when listening to music.  For example, Jonsin’s musical numbers are always dominated by a bold melody that throws itself into your head.  Your brain doesn’t have to think about what it is that it is hearing.  No piecing together abstract sounds and unorganized chord structures.  Just aggressive drums with heavy kick drums and snare sounds that crack in your ears.  In a way you receive very didactive music, the chord progressions Jonsin uses are simple, but powerful, your brain seems to know what chord is going to come next yet you would have never thought to create the same progression yourself.  This strange interaction while you’re listening connects you to the music, a resonation begins.  The chords of the music stimulate emotions in your head that you can only express by bobbing your head to the beat.

           

An affinity is created between a creator and a listener when you can produce this kind of action when audiences hear your work.  This is what I aspire to achieve in my music every time I sit down with creative inspiration.  As an artist I feel like anything less than this is a creative failure.