0.4 Defining your voice

Recently I spent an evening with another artist listening as he described his art and what he wanted toaccomplish. He had a fire within his eyes and determination in his voice as he spoke. I begun to see a pattern or a message he wantedto express through his art. For most of us, we can’t see the forest for the trees. By voicing our inner dreams openly and honestly, webegin to see where we really want to take our art. This helps identify the mechanics involved with getting there.

When we describe our art, we get a sense of the depth of our desire. Moving forward with how we want audiencesto perceive our art gives us the voice we seek. Understanding what we want to say and how to say it is defining our voice. We eachhave our own unique way of presenting our art. Many themes have been said many different ways, but each artist has a differentperspective on the subject. If we know what we see as our art and how we want audiences to receive it then it gives us a clearerunderstanding of how to present our voice.

Jimi Hendrix played Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower differently than how it was recorded by Dylan. However,Dylan loved Jimi’s perspective and choose to play it that way instead of his original version. While the song itself is amasterpiece the interpretation in playing by Jimi brought the piece to another level. Jimi had a unique voice with his playing style.This was his contribution to art. Yes, a chord or note is the same no matter how you hear it, however, how you play it makes it moreartful. For musicians most of the time they hear a sound in their heads then begin to find ways to bring that sound out through theirinstruments. This sound is their voice.

For writers it is the choice of words or the way they lay those words out in a sentence structure. Inperformance artists it is how they present it based upon their artistic interpretations.

This part of the workbook is intended for you to reach inside your soul again and write how you interpret yourvoice. You will also speak of how you desire your audience to perceive your art. Each part of this process you are examining thestructure of your art. You are defining, refining and making your dreams more concise. You are making your art a more solid piece ofunderstanding for yourself.

Question: How would you describe your art? How do you perceive it, and how do you want your audience toperceive it?

Question: How do you perceive it as unique and different from others?

Question: Can you identify an overriding message, sentiment, or morals?

Question: How do you want your audience to feel after viewing your art?