Painting With Music

Recently I talked to an artist that I've worked with to get the background story on one of the songs that he wrote. I, and anyone else that listens to music, usually assumes that since he/she wrote the song figures that every lyric was derived from an actual experience that he had. After talking to him I now realize that isn't always the case. As he explained the song to me he referred to writing the song as painting a picture, creating a character, and telling a story that does connect to what he went through but not directly. I found this very interesting and it has opened my perspective to music becoming more aware of what an artist is purveying through their lyrics.

Musicians and lyricists are truly more than what one may think. They aren't just singing a song with notes on an instrument. They are connecting to their audience, creating a story, a message, characters, emotions, almost everything else you would find either in a book, a movie, or even a painting as the artist I talked with had referred to. Just as easily as someone creates their own feelings, emotions, and pictures in their head from a book or painting is the same as just listening to a song.

So can we really label a musician as just a musician or lyricist when they're painting stories for an audience not only to dance to but interpret in any way they want? Or a painter just a painter when there are painters that use music to create an abstract piece of art, the brush being the instrument, that is left to the viewer to also interpret in any way or form that they want? So when we say artist, we use labels only to define what type of tool or instrument that they are using when in reality art is endless and encompasses all the areas of art in a sense. An artist's goal is to express themselves and the viewer always will see their work and experience some type of emotion and or personal vision how the story would look.