It's early morning, and I'm watching the fog slowly dancing as it lifts off the mighty Tennessee and disappears in the sunlight. I used to live here in Florence, Alabama, part of “The Shoals”, where artists like Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Linda Ronstadt, and Willy Nelson have recorded. It's said that this river is the “Singing River” and that it has been a rich source of creativity over the decades.
Coming back here for ShoalsFest, I took the opportunity to camp at McFarland Park on the banks of the river, and I wasn't disappointed. I wrote a few songs, one in particular in tribute to the river, “Rolling River”, and also met up with Abraham Rowe to get new images for my upcoming music project.
It's been 5 years since we last worked together, so after catching up for a bit in the rig, we hit the road and headed to Sheffield, the childhood home of acclaimed artists Percy Sledge, and Jason Isbell.
The photo shoot lasted over two hours as we explored areas I'd never spent much time in before. Driving around, there are so many gorgeous buildings and signs- exquisite in their state of decay, with stories to tell. He recently took part in this project called “Hidden Spaces” a study in looking deeper into areas we see or pass on a daily basis to uncover the stories and meaning behind the facades. These hidden spaces yield different stories, “In all cases, people will speak of themselves through their sense of place.”
This image from his facebook page shows a sign in Sheffield that is absolutely pregnant with meaning:
As we drove around Sheffield looking for the right places for my photo shoot, we shared our own stories of searching for creativity, and the importance of putting energy towards that right now in our current times.
It's in times of great pressure that diamonds are produced.
Indeed, this time right now could be seen as confusing, overwhelming, and depressing.
However, I found hope in remembering that it is during dark times when we are forced inward to assimilate our experiences. I believe our souls crave that expression- and that response is many times a fantastic creative explosion.
I'm returning back to music, and preparing to release an upcoming EP with a recording studio out of Boston, MA (more on that in a future post). Something about coming back to this river seemed apropos for my own creative re-birth.
My focus now is on crafting the best songs I can right now- songs that will hopefully connect with my audience to soothe, or inspire. By sharing my own stories through song, I hope to align with our collective stories of humanity- what it means to be alive, and that our experiences matter.
This photo shoot went from a checklist on my marketing plan, to a true collaboration with another artist to create something meaningful. That even the act of capturing images contains layers of meaning that we can interpret through our own lens of lived experiences.
Creativity and art exist everywhere. Let's lean into our own stories and authenticity so that we can truly connect with others for our collective well-being.
I hope that you enjoyed this post, and that it resonated with you.
I'm headed back on the road, but will write again soon.
xo
Heather
(all images by Abraham Rowe Photography)