Clarity!
Clarity! — hmmm….what is it, exactly? Here are some clues:
clarity (n.) c. 1300, clarte, clerte "brightness, radiance; glory, splendor," from Old French clerte, clartet (Modern French clarté) "clarity, brightness," from Latin claritas "brightness, splendor," also, of sounds, "clearness”…. I LOVE WORDS! (thanks etymonline.com!)
Isn’t that cool?
BrightnesS
Radiance
Splendor
— and also of sounds!: to hear clearly.
Now, how do you get it? Clarity, that is…
I don’t know but, recently, I did get some clarity— and it wasn’t an epiphany (that’s another post)— it was more of a focused energy surge in my life and creative work.
And I didn’t really do anything to cultivate it— wait, scratch that— I did do The Work over a long period of time— daily work (which, to give myself credit, is no small task). I didn't expect any ‘return’ really— but the emotio-pysch integration just sort of happened over time: clarity!
A Little Context
Some of you know I’m working on my doctorate at Bath Spa University in the UK. It’s a wonderful low-residency program and I have two amazing supervisors: the composer James Saunders, and vocal pedagogue and performance studies scholar Pamala Karantonis. After a slew of trips to the UK and many mulling hours, I’m in the ‘writing up’ phase: I’ve created a portfolio of original solo and collaborative postopera live and media works and I’m writing about this collection— perspectives on composition-creation and the context and place of the work in the world. I nearly have a first draft— but its been hard won: the UK doctorates are very self-directed so there’s a good deal of wandering and roaming about through relevant literature and theory in addition to the creative work portfolio. But something snapped (in a good way) over the last month or so and my ideas about my work, voice, and its context started to fall into place:
CLARITY
— and with that came an increased vision for my creative work in general, and a focussed commitment to the music and art I am creating and putting into the world.
Onward and upward, loves!
