The Importance of Dreaming

Growing up in a place, culture and time that made me question myself as a full-time artist, I really struggled to articulate the value of the artist in society for a long time. I knew that it was important. But that was my bones talking. What was it about creators that was absolutely essential? Nevermind convincing others, I had to convince myself!

Here is what I’ve come to today. More important than commenting on what is happening in the world, more important than creating something beautiful (which is, incidentally, high up there on my list of priorities), more important even than being a model of vulnerability, openness and sensitivity is the artist’s role as dreamer in society. A dream is a vision infused with hope and magic. It is that deep longing for something better or unknown. Something beyond what seems possible. Something that holds a mere tenuous connection to reality. Dreams come from the subconscious, a place I try to visit often in the creative process and in performance both. It is the smartest part of myself. It knows. Really knows.

Everyone dreams. We all do it every night. And sometimes during the day! But the thing about artists is that we don’t just dream, we make art as result of our dreams. We toil away to try and create work inspired by our subconscious minds so that we can share these visions with others. We take our dreams very seriously.

But why write one more song or one more piece of music? It is an audacious act! Every one of my songs is a dream wrestled into reality. During every creative process, I try to bring a things of purity, of untouchable beauty and divinity into lyrics and melody and harmonic setting. Every song is like that. I’m in the business of translating dreams. As technology desiccates our creativity and agency, this ability to dream visions into action is something that is becoming more and more precious. Every song, like every child born on this earth, is a miracle. Not all songs make it into the world.

My version of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” is a dream about dreaming. Dreaming a better world and then using that vision as a guiding light to carry us into more peaceful times. We can dream it! We can do it! We see a better world!

Listen to the song here.