The Power of Music

It wasn’t until two years ago that I started looking at my relationship with music differently. I realised that I am not just a guitarist. I am much more than that. I am a musician. An artist.

To me, an artist is someone dedicated to expressing themselves authentically through tools. Someone who is able to turn their deepest feelings into something beautiful. Everyone approaches this differently, and that’s what makes art beautiful. For me, my most natural expression is through the guitar.

I started playing the guitar when I was eight years old. I started with learning the basics, and as I progressed my love for music grew deeper. I learned how to play Slash’s solos note-for-note and mimicked Jimi Hendrix’s techniques. But I wasn’t being authentic.

I quickly learned that I had to find my own style. At this time, I had a wide range of musical influences – from Slash to John Frusciante, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, John Mayer, Eric Johnson, Paul Jackson Jr. and Eddie Hazel.

Experimenting with different styles always inspires me to move my art in a slightly different direction. Each style can teach you something new, which you can incorporate into your playing. This doesn’t just apply to music, but to every art form.

With experience, you naturally develop your own voice. And with practice, we become more comfortable with our voice, which we can then use to translate experiences into art for others to relate to. I see that as the artist’s purpose – to create something that connects people. That is true art.