convo377-blog

[convo377-blog]

Social Identity

Social Identity is related to creative identity in that the two define an individual. However, whereas creative identity is dictated by the individual, social identity "...is the internalisation of, often stereotypical, collective identifications." (Jenkins 2008) by others. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five made many musical tracks from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. Throughout this period much of their music was fitting to the popular genre at the time, Funk. However, in 1982, they were able to escape the social identity they had built around them with the release of The Message (Fletcher 1982), the inspiration for rap in the '90s. This compels me to not stay in an area of my art defined by society.

[convo377-blog]

Fractured Identity

Through an artist’s experiences they develop their identity but as this occurs the "Identities [of artist's] are being 'de-centred'; that is, dislocated or fragmented." (Hall 1996). This leads to a fractured Identity that can lead an artist, such as myself, to different creative processes. Marshal Mathers, also known as Eminem, displays this idea through the topics and issues covered within his music and how those topics changed over time. The Slim Shady EP (Mathers 1999) is composed of many tracks that are meant to insight humour as opposed to Revival (Mathers 2017), an album more focused on Mathers' personal issues.  

The Slim Shady LP: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kqHXZBl9FyDtb2UckFaLtvT2L0HLVnqTs

Revival: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m8R1SwPPUCgq777T9Nt-zLRzaekFmhet0

[convo377-blog]

Authenticity

the Authenticity of an artist is based upon how "true... [to] substance" (Vannini 2009) they are. As in, an artist can create a fake image to make themselves and their art more 'interesting', but this practice is often frowned upon by wider society. A$AP Rocky is an authentic artist to his audience. In Fukk Sleep (Mayers 2018) Rocky opens up about his homelessness, "I remember I was poor and When I was young and living homeless." Opening up about his past to the listener builds a more human identity fo Rocky as an artist. A larger number of individuals would be able to relate to my music if I am authentic.

[convo377-blog]

Creative Influence

Creative influence is the process of an artist using other artists pieces of work to influence their own and shape their identity, “we are constituted as individuals in a social process using socially shared materials.” (Barker 2012). Waves (Stehr 2013) is a soft rock/R&B piece that makes use of guitar, bass, piano, light percussion and a brass section. The piece also an overall slow tempo. Dance music producer Robin Schulz then uses his own creative influence to reshape the piece into an upbeat tropical house format. Using the process of "remixing" as an artist allows for multiple pieces of art to be created as the result of a single idea.

[convo377-blog]

Creative Identity

Creative identity is how an artist makes themselves up and how they perform or display their work, drawing on their personal experiences,  "promot[ing] the discovery or creation of the self." (Dollinger 2005). m.A.A.d city (Lamar 2012) goes through Kendrick Lamar's upbringing in Compton, California. "This is not a rap on how I'm slingin' crack or move cocaine", Lamar explicitly tells the listener that this piece isn't going to be like other hip-hop produced at the time, and instead delves into his personal experiences, "I'll take you on a trip down memory lane." Delving into the personal draw a listener further into a piece.

[convo377-blog]

Sensory Knowledge

Sensory knowledge is the process of experiencing the world through touch and thus gain "knowledge of the world... through one's skin" (Howes 2005, p.27). Sensory knowledge also contains the idea of "ear knowledge [Pabinka una]" (Howes 2005, p.28). Clair De Lune (Flight Facilities 2012) makes use of a thunderstorm sample to engage the survival instinct and fear of nature within the listener, but then immediately contrast it with a simple melody that is easy to the ears. In writing my own music, nature is a powerful tool that can be used to draw in the listener and engage their sensory knowledge.  

[convo377-blog]

Overdetermination

Overdetermination is Freud's theory of explaining that all or most "trivial behaviours [are the results of an individuals most] plural and deep psychological complexit[ies]" (Mansfield 2000). Deadmau5's creative process involves a lot of time in his studio testing chords, drum patterns and samples using trial and error prominently. In this process, he accidentally recreated the synth pattern for Sandstorm (Darude 1999). Freud's theory of overdetermination would argue that this was not simply an accident but there was a deep psychological reason for this to take place. It encourages other artists and myself to see if there is a deeper reason behind their creative processes.

[convo377-blog]

Unconscious

The Unconscious is a part of the mind that holds “The monster...” (Mansfield 2000) within an individual, the "vulnerability to corruption and... malicious physical violence." The kind of thoughts that only surface in dreams, jokes or accidental slips of the tongue known as parapraxes. In the lyricism of Bury a Friend (Eilish 2019), Billie Eilish explores her unconscious. "Bury a Friend, I wanna end me" confronts the listener with two troubling ideas that on a given day would not enter the mind of an individual but exist deep within their unconscious mind. This encourages me as an artist to explore the deeper parts of my identity to influence my creative process.

[convo377-blog]

Essentialism

Essentialism is the idea that an individual’s identity is unmalleable, immovable, and can not be influenced by outside sources. A "timeless core of the self that we all possess." (Barker 2012). Malaa produces a form of bass house music where the use of a "Snare, Kick" (Malaa 2015-2016) drum pattern is used to create the overarching sense of flow in his music. As an artist, I can see that certain parts of a piece may differ, but the underlying qualities may remain the same as in this instance they are an essential part of the genre. 

[convo377-blog]

Subjectivity

Subjectivity encompasses our experiences, with others and the world we live in, and how those experiences shape our individual personalities, “the condition of being a person...” (Barker 2012, p.220). Street Lights (West 2008) goes over Kanye West's personal experiences or lack thereof. West compares the “street lights” he is passing to moments in his life. Combining this with "So I hopped in the cab and I paid my fare", West forges a similie linking his life to a cab ride, that he can not control and thus many life experiences pass him by. West thus inspires other artists to draw on their personal experiences to influence their work. 

[convo377-blog]

References

Barker, C. (2012). Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. 4th ed. London: Sage, p.220-221, 223.

Dollinger, S., Dollinger, S. and Centeno, L. (2005). Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, p.315.

Lamar, K. (2012). m.A.A.d city. [online] Santa Monica: Interscope Records. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10yrPDf92hY [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Eilish, B. (2019). Bury a Friend. [online] Santa Monica: Interscope Records. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHC9tYz8ik [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Fletcher, E., Mel, M., Robinson, S. and Chase, C. (1982). The Message. [Online] Englewood: Sugar Hill Records. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PobrSpMwKk4 [Accessed 27 Mar. 2019].

Gruzman, H., Lyell, J. and Hoberg, C. (2012). Clair De Lune. [online] Sydney: Future Classic. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKlBTmylvqY [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Hall, S., Held, D., Hubert, D., and Thompson, K. (1996). Modernity: an introduction to modern societies. Blackwell Publishers: Oxford, p. 596

Howes, D. (2005). Skinscapes: Embodiment, Culture, and Environment. Oxford: Berg, pp.27-28.

Jenkins, R. (2008). Social Identity. 3rd ed. Abingdon: Routledge, p.112.

LivestreamFails (2017). Deadmau5 Accidentally Recreates Sandstorm. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT_sjisdgbk [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Malaa (2015). Notorious. [online] Toronto: Confession. Available at: https://youtu.be/Anu5yh403Fs [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].

Malaa (2016). Diamonds. [online] Toronto: Confession. Available at: https://youtu.be/jy953u5FDwA [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].

Mansfield, N. (2000). Subjectivity: Theories of the Self from Freud to Haraway. St Leonards: Allen & Unwin, p.26, 29.

Mathers, M. (1999). The Slim Shady LP. [online] Santa Monica: Aftermath. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kqHXZBl9FyDtb2UckFaLtvT2L0HLVnqTs [Accessed 24 Mar. 2019].

Mathers, M. (2017). Revival. [online] Santa Monica: Aftermath. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m8R1SwPPUCgq777T9Nt-zLRzaekFmhet0 [Accessed 24 Mar. 2019].

Mayers, R. (2018). Fukk Sleep. [online] New York City: Polo Grounds Music. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM5XogpX1JA [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].

Stehr, D. (2013). Waves. [online] Left Lane. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5WyAjL1MM [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Stehr, D. (2019). Waves (Robin Schulz Remix Radio Edit). [online] New York City: Ultra. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUjE9H8QlA4 [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Vannini, P. and Williams, P. (2009). Authenticity in Culture, Self and Society. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, p.2.

Virtanen, V. (1999). Sandstorm. [online] New York City: Robbins. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6120QOlsfU [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

West, K. (2008). Street Lights. [online] Chicago: G.O.O.D. Music. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUfuDKKGQxU [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].