The spirit of creation and its' affect on mental health

Rock n' roll and mental health awareness have one thing in common, society has taken its' time to accept both. I have anxiety in the same way I love rock n' roll... I just always have. At the end of everything, everyone has that one thing that quiets the chaos inside of them. That something is a way to express self care and self love, as well as a way to spread love for the human experience. For me, that is the liquid light show, a dying art made famous by early rock n' roll. The liquid light show was made famous by the hippies, looking for the psychedelic visual counterpart to bands like Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd. It was a strange fusion of art and basic chemistry, all glued together via an overhead projector and colored fluids. I knew I loved doing it and I loved how raw I could be with it.

After discovering what this craft was, it soon became a staple of how I digested music as an art. Suddenly I could hang onto every lyric and key change and create something organic. The flow of the music became a raw expression of what the music expresses. My love for the music and my love (and lack thereof) for my persepctive on life became something I could express as an art. My visuals became an instrument of the spirit connecting artist and spectator. The minds' eye is a powerful tool. My mind's eye became the medium for a very anxious and cautious person that wanted to create and share. I was no longer the anxious person desperately trying to find a place in the crowd, I was transparent and vulnerable, allowing my expression to cascade through the crowd.

At one particular show I attended as an artist, I recall a feeling that was brand new. Being in a new space around strangers was usually a beck and call for the awkward anxious feelings, but in that moment I was born anew. Once the music began, I let the shapes and colors form as they came into my mind. The song was a sultry and intimate tune, and I shrouded the room in a deep red. Instead of anxiety, I was feeling a deep passion. I was truly in the flow, every move was second nature. That was when I realized, the goal wasn't to block out the anxiety, but to allow it in. Allow it in and be transparent in a way where everyone in the room could relate. To allow people to connect through the music and not be alienated by the things that separate us as individuals. Everyone has experienced something in their life that has disrupted their peace, but in the same respect, everyone can tune into a moment together. art is the great unifier between us all and bring that together with both music and art is a truly powerful thing.

I struggle with mental health, but I am always sure of the fact that I will have a way to work through that. I am also always sure of my ability to connect through my art. Inner peace to me means connection, it means relating to my fellow man and understanding that we all suffer but we all still feel love. Music is love manifesting itself through raw emotion and I feel very lucky to be able to participate in a unique way. All we want as humans is to love and be loved, and through art we can truly express that and share in the mutual feeling of love. Only through love can we find peace.