Dare to be Irreverent | #MusicalMusings
Definition of Irreverent: “not showing the expected respect for official, important, or holy things”
A while ago I watched a talk by John Hegarty, one of the founding members of BBH, an incredibly successful global advertising agency. He talked about the importance of irreverence in art and how BBH has always tried to embrace it in their work. Epitomised by their ‘Black Sheep’ logo
I’ve come to believe it is one of the most important elements of being a creative. In the artistic context irreverence is more about being prepared to challenge the norm. Take risks.
In fact I’d go so far as to say that being risk averse stifles creativity.
For those of you who would prefer to watch/listen rather than read:
Too Much Music
I’m currently working with an incredibly talented singer songwriter and friend on a collaborative music project which we plan to release. Upon scouring the internet looking at live videos, I started to become a bit disheartened because I saw how many aspiring artists there are, all clamouring to be heard.
In the digital age everyone can put out music (and does), so getting heard through the noise becomes increasingly difficult.
But most of the artists that I came across were doing something that’s already being done.
Artists and labels are releasing material that sounds like already well established artists.
Why would anyone choose to listen to Steve Johnson from Preston (even if he is dashingly handsome, six packed up and has a good voice) rather than Justin Bieber? Justin Bieber does Justin Bieber better.
And I wonder if that’s why so many hopefuls flounder. Because they are all trying to copy and paste.
Why not dare to be different?
Similarly Hollywood (in general) seems to be risk averse and full of reboots or formulaic film making. The accompanying film scores are often all too generic.
Why not dare to be different?
I think Netflix does and as such is changing the media landscape.
I’m under no illusion that bringing irreverence to your art is easy. It takes time and experience to consciously bring it to your work. I’m still not convinced I do it… but I’m trying
I think we tend to bow down before official, important or holy institutions and practices. But I wonder if the greatest reward (and indeed art) comes from daring to be irreverent.
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