Every now and then in my line of work, you get to see something grow from the ground up.
I always find it a thrill, as well as an honor, when someone allows me to see something in its infancy. The new album, Famous Words & Alibis by independent solo artist Chance, was one of those projects.
Beginning in late fall of 2007, I was given the privilege of talking with Chance about his hopes and aspirations for what he felt could be his finest work as a solo artist. Over the course of a year, Chance shared with me previews of new album tracks and ideas as they were still being generated. From the start, Chance and I discussed his desire to let his audience feel as if he was “their” artist and that they were on the “inside.” Initially, we talked of a more grass roots, handmade approach that may have included a bounty of hidden jewels such as web links to secret songs and little known items about the artist himself. As the music became much more robust, the vision shifted slightly and then it shifted… tremendously.
Strategic Exploration
At times, I allow for a much more free flowing and organic working environment when teaming up with creative personalities such as recording artists, photographers, or filmmakers. This unrestricted process seems to let visionary-type let their thoughts flow more openly and allows them to participate in the hands on part of projects such as brainstorming, conception and even, for some, the actual creation. This time however, I decided to blend both the organic, free-flowing process with the more strategic and deliberate set of checks and balances I try to employ when working with more buttoned up corporate brands and clients.
With much exploration and discovery already in hand, we began to put down on paper a set of qualities we wanted to express. We settled on unguarded, defiantly hopeful, singular (unique), artisan, inspirational, & sharp. We also listed many likes and dislikes such as a cold or industrial feel with dominant muted or grey tones as well as purple or 80’s neon green. We listed the colors we felt best fit the mood such as red, orange, brown and yellow. Also, we listed ideas and influences to consider such as Mark Rothko, abstraction and a desired use of photography. In the end, we had a full fledge creative brief, not something typically used when working with music or entertainment clients in my experience.
As a result, combining the discoveries of the free flowing organic approach with the more strategic process actually seemed to set our creative energies free. No longer overwhelmed with a limitless set of options, we embarked on a specific direction but with the freedom to explore anything we came across along this deliberate path. After starting out much more abstract we finally decided to do a photoshoot in Chance’s current home in hopes of catching an unguarded portrait of him. Also, we hoped to capture something that uniquely let his audience into his life. In one session, we both felt that we had something and the project visuals became to take shape in a much more simpler for than we originally intended.
Chance’s comments:
On the creative process: “It took a little to get off my horse and get on to yours, but once the transition happened it was much smoother”.
On the whether the process effected any preconceived outcome:
“I’d say significantly, the reason is whatever I was reaching for/hoping for never materialized and we went in a different direction. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just different. So I just surrendered to the unknown and allowed the new direction to happen. This coming from an artist that usually has things pretty figured out ahead of time. It was a different approach for me.”
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