I was always a fan of musicals but I think there was something engineered by Quincy Jones and the mad scientists at Mowtown to be placed in between the frames of The Wiz because it sits in my peripheral like a ghost or a guardian angel and it took me 13 years to realize that it left such an impact on me in both an artistic sense but also as someone who tends to sing and talk to themselves moving from point A to point B. The lyrics to “Ease on Down the Road” seem to be tattooed on the insides of my eyelids, the words feeling like an incantation or a hymn better suited for bus stops than churches.
As I’ve been working on my thesis, this version (the more interesting and less brainwashy) of the story has unintentionally become a muse for me. I had my story and characters already formed well before I thought of The Wiz in any conscious way but clearly my subconscious had its own agenda. The way these characters push forward against the menacing winds in a warped 1970’s New York and the funky fresh flair baked into their antagonists is nothing short of jaw-dropping and inspiring for me at this stage in my creative process. I spoke at length about this approach to telling a story during a studio visit. Below are notes from other visits and calls I was lucky enough to be on regarding how it is we tell our stories and what it means to have a voice and the responsibility we have of taking care of it so it speaks for us..
I’m easing on down the road, at my own pace, and with tired eyes at times but the smile I keep is genuine these days. Being in this place, between beginning and end (both with my thesis and my academic career) where I must confront my materials and my influences has placed a certain degree of anxiety onto me but I know from experience that much of that tension is self-generated. Hearing others talk about their jobs as makers of things and as storytellers, in arenas I’ve yet to enter seems to melt some of that stress away (especially when those creative people look like me). I only wonder what I will think when I look back on those moments years later if they’ll provide a similar comfort
I worry about what it means to be an educator and if my idea of making art is truly something worth sharing but all of these visits and talks have only further encouraged me to be bold and be sure that my voice matters and the way I project it is worth something too. I’m excited by not knowing and seven years worth of higher education is enough formal investigation down the golden paved path of curiosity. I need concrete untouched by the soles of my beat-up boots and this work is my first step on that new path. I’m nervous but hopeful as I juggle projects I care about and take my efforts into new spaces.