Empathic Opus
Follow the link for Jenem’s bandcamp library
Recently I had the incredible opportunity to have a video chat with Jenem, a musician on Twitch who is a stupendous singer songwriter(I have written about her before, here. She is very enjoyable and easy to talk to. My typical social awkwardness existed only in minimal amounts. We talked mainly about music; big surprise there. I came away from the discussion having learned a few things.
Perhaps this is too much influence from entertainment media but I very naively have been operating under the assumption that people who decide to become career musicians have had some sort of earth shattering moment that caused them to make this rather life altering decision. I thought for sure something fantastic must have inspired them to take on a career that is challenging for a myriad of reasons. While I still do believe that it is something tremendous that inspires them I now am aware that it doesn’t always come from some marvelous, lightning strike type of moment. When I posed the question “what inspired you to become a singer-songwriter?” to Jenem she didn’t have any single moment to cite. Rather it was many seemingly small things which added up over many years. Music always inspired her as she grew up listening to it but there was no specific musical push or an extraordinary enthusiasm for music in her childhood home. As I pondered on this it made a great deal of sense to me and I began to think that this is likely the case for many musicians. Not everyone is going to have one experience so astounding that it causes them to make a significant life decision.
I went on to ask “what is the most rewarding part of songwriting?” I may butcher this but I will do my best to word this as eloquently as it was delivered to me. Songwriting is a brilliant way to work through and process emotions; it can oftentimes be a way to find closure after making it through a harrowing experience. It is also a way to highlight a memorable experience so that it can be forever remembered. She ended by saying that it could also be a most precious gift that you give to someone else and what a gift it would be if a song you wrote for someone which granted them catharsis after an agonizing experience. As I thought about that I was hard pressed to think of a more cherished or beloved gift that I could receive. I may value music more than some but regardless I couldn’t think of anything. I believe that music has the ability to impart feelings to others in a way that is not possible with any other medium. These feelings are so powerful that they stay with you for years to come and all it takes is listening to that one song again perhaps even after years of not hearing it for everything to come flowing back.
Lastly I knew that busking was something that she enjoyed doing so I was quite interested in how that began and what she enjoyed about it. Essentially she figured that the best way to get over any stage fright was just to throw herself in the deep end and go for it. This is not only good advice for performing but solid advice for life in general. Sometimes you just have to forget your fears, trepidations and just go for something. I admire those who are able to turn their weaknesses into strengths through courage and hard work. While it was nerve racking at first it quickly became a most enjoyable activity through which she created a multitude of fantastic memories. This includes a busking tour with fellow musician Courtney Visser; who also streams music on the Twitch platform. This sounded both fascinating and frightening to me.
I love the unique opportunity that the Twitch platform presents to get to know artists better and listen to them talk about their music. It adds a new element to the music listening experience when you know where an artist is coming from when they wrote a particular song. Of course you cannot get the opportunity to chat with every artist you enjoy on Twitch but when you have the chance to chat one on one it adds another layer onto your music listening experience. I would love the chance to meet any of the musicians I have discovered through just in person one day; I imagine that would add even more. Technology affords many opportunities that would be impossible otherwise but it is not a replacement for in person interaction.
Whether songwriting is your hobby, your career or something in between it is an act which I believe involves a great deal of selflessness. Those who compose music proficiently are able to do so because they are conveying their own thoughts and feelings through their music. They are willing to release these pieces of themselves into the world in hopes that others can find joy and solace through them. From minor problems such as trying to survive junior high school, to the most traumatic ordeal of losing my father as a teenager. I wouldn’t have made it through without the restorative power of music.
