I appreciate the beauty of limitations. I just produced a music video with a digital camera (a gift from my wife on my 29th birthday) and a laptop (a gift from my brother-from-another-mother last year) for Infinitus...and it's pretty good! Not perfect, but I like it. It's real and I like real. I'm thinking about some of my favorite music...When David, Asaph, etc. wrote the Psalms, what did the melody sound like? I wonder what gear Stevie Wonder had when he created "Music of My Mind?" Or, what equipment did Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong use when they recorded some of my favorite jazz standards? I'm a big fan of "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye because it plays like a symphony, but I can't help but notice the terrible synthesized voice (sounds like T-Pain's grandma) on the end one of the tracks...All this to say, some of the best music in the WORLD was written and/or recorded on equipment that was inferior to my digital camera and laptop. Why are they great? Because it's great music by great artists. Their artistry transcends technology. Isn't that how it should be? Today it seems opposite. In pop music and hip-hop, technology often transcends artistry. Being a huge fan of hip-hop, especially good production, for a long time I felt that my limitations were keeping me from moving forward at the rate I wanted to go. When I first started making non-classical music, I wanted a record deal, big budget music videos, and a state-of-the-art recording studio. I wanted a manager/booking agent, a marketing department, a web designer, and a stylist to keep me looking right. Where did I get all of that from?? That's a whole other blog. LOL
Praise God that I didn't get any of that!! I've learned that my perceived limitations continue to allow God to have His way in my life. His plan for me has already shown to be much better than my personal plan. Alot of what I've seen as limitations/constraints has actually been protection. I find myself asking questions like this:
If I had a major label deal, would God be able to have His way in my life?
If I had gotten a major label record deal back in 2004 (when I started making music as A.d.i.d.a.m.), would I have had the space to develop musically like I have in the past few years? Or would I have been the male version of Miri Ben-Ari? Would there be an Infinitus or Psalm Fresh, and if so, would I be a part of them?
If I had someone build all of my websites, would I know anything about web design? I've had to learn to build my own websites.
You see where this is going. I could write for days on how blessed I've been to be led by God. I've learned the truth behind the scripture, "I can do all things through Christ..." I do believe that someday I may have some of those things listed above, but more than anything, I've learned that what God gives me is enough.
So (enter "20th Century Fox" Theme), here's the music video for the "Infinitus Anthem." Let me know what you think! Help us out with some "Like's" and comments! Thanks.
