Fireside Chat

Artist Statement

            Everyone has a story to tell. No story is the same, and every story carries it’s own meaning. For this Fireside Chat I chose to share some of the stories that are so close to me, and how music has helped me to get through these moments in my life. I believe that music can be a channel for our emotions.

In class we did not have any specific readings, but we did view some media that helped us to get an idea of what to do. In class we watched a clip from the TV show Mad Men, which showed the personal connection photographs and the product Carousel had to his own life. Like him, I took songs that were written for anyone, anywhere, and applied them to my life and me specifically. Making this connection made it possible for me to take this normally generalized media, and make it into something that is more poignant for myself.

In the movie Silver Lining’s Playbook, a young woman named Tiffany struggles with the loss of her husband, and tries to find a way to cope with her issues. She becomes heavily immersed in dance, even to the point where she pulls a very reluctant (and issue plagued) man named Pat into the routine with her. The dancing becomes a sort of escape for them, and helps them to deal with the many problems they are facing. Music had a similar effect on me, and helped me to move past the different challenges I was facing.

When preparing for this assignment, I thought a lot about how I should present the idea. I wanted everyone present to feel comfortable with me sharing these stories from my life, and I wanted to convey the idea that everyone was my friend and we were simply having a conversation about my life. I wanted this because I felt that when I would have problems in life, the best thing I found I could do was to sit down and talk it out with a close friend. It is because of this that I chose to sit on a stool and talk to everyone unscripted. I also chose to not play any of the music because I felt that it would take away from that heart to heart feel and become too much like a presentation. Although at times when talking with friends you could show them a song, I felt that a dramatic reading of the lyrics would be much more effective.

My life hasn’t always been a perfect story of success and popularity, but I’ve been able to find the best parts of my worst moments, and find the joy of life within them. Even if I’m left out at a dance or dressed up like a dweeb for a Harry Potter premiere, I know I can still conquer life by seeking out the things that allow me to have an emotional release. Music is powerful and my life has become indebted to its power.