Another year is coming to a close, and history has been made. Triumph, tragedy and everything in between have been expressed as we speed forward into the great unknown of the year to come, zooming one year closer to the ominous and looming 2012. Will the little planet that could be able to stave off the apocalyptic cataclysm that will seemingly engulf us all, or will the valiant people of the third rock from the sun be able to ward off the rapidly approaching end by some great uplifting heroic effort?
Tune in next year to learn the fate of the hapless planet, but until then, relax, sit back and take stock and don't do anything rash. Opportunities will open up to us, as they always do. Keep aware and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. Don't get too wrapped up in the dark and dismal side of things, and remember that if you're at the bottom of the hole, it is only that much more gratifying when you finally pull yourself out.
Ordinary Miracles
It might be the relief of leaving the old year behind – or the excitement of the upcoming New Year, with all its promise and potential, or maybe it's just the season, but I like to imagine all the miracles that are happening all around me at any given moment. These miracles I speak of are the very ordinary miracles that we take for granted, such as the things we have, not the things we could have or should have.
As William Bell says in his song from 1961, "You don't miss your water till your well runs dry." While the original song is a blues song about a guy whose girl leaves him, the sentiment of the song is one that could apply to almost anything in one's life. Health, wealth, love and security stay intact as we slip through the cracks of a universe prone to entropy and chaos, and sometimes it's only through our awareness or perspective that we manage to safely find our way.
Message in an Ice Crystal
A while back I wrote about a Japanese scientist, Masaru Emoto, who experiments with sending water droplets messages and then photographing them as they freeze. The nice messages create beautiful crystals while the darker messages make for distorted shapes. What we think and believe is what we are, and also that which we attract to ourselves. Simply put, if you are happy, you will live in a happy world; when you are sad, then everything around you will be sad, and so on.
A musician plays with time and space, and often, great music does not come from what the musician chooses to play, but rather from what they choose not to play. Of course we, as the listener, hear the chosen notes. and unless we happen across another version of the same song. we might never know that there is another way to fill the same space.
Filling In the Void
When we mix a band, we are given the opportunity to make choices regarding how we fill the space in the speakers that reproduce the sound. Imaging is about the space between the various instruments being played. The tools we use are dynamics, effects, output and gain, but they are just tools for achieving the final spatial relationship between instruments and vocals or the final mix.
I often find myself listening to the spaces in a mix rather than the mix itself. It's my preference. Some people favor a wall of sound or a sheet that engulfs them, but I desire the space between. It's like seeing from the corner of one's eye or hearing whispers in the dark; it's similar to the dark matter of the universe and gravity in the space between the planets. Space has a substance and a weight; it is the space between us that helps define us.
When there is a space, there is a natural tendency to fill said space. I remember when I moved from an apartment to a house and I was thrilled with all the new found space I had acquired. A few years later, after living in the house, I was once again lamenting about the clutter. Every drawer in my house is filled. When I get new drawers, they, too, get filled. When I rid myself of clutter by emptying out drawers, they quickly fill up once again. It's a conspiracy, but one from which I am learning.
My new axiom is "Empty space will be filled." Of course, how it's filled is another thing. In my house, I like to organize my drawers in a certain way, whereas my wife has her own method of filling the space. So be it. My attic, which once was a nice empty space, is filled with stuff, detritus and crapola. My garage is a space in which one can barely move. More flotsam and jetsam; c'est la vie.
Pockets of Potential
If I create a space, more stuff will find its way into the space, but this is not really about my household problems. All my ventures into the realm of space, from playing music to mixing shows to typing these words on paper, lead me back to the space within.
The spaces that reside inside of us are just pockets of potential waiting to be filled, and once that space is filled, other things are excluded.
Therefore, if I fill an empty space with anger, there may be no room for compassion. If I fill a space with hate, then there is no room for love. Sometimes the spaces within are filled with a negativity and darkness that only hold us back from our fulfillment, but, that said, how do we combat our basic desires?
Here's a thought: if we get angry at something or someone, pull back. Count to 10 and don't let the darkness of anger fill the space. Keep the space open and, possibly, the light of compassion and understanding will come in and fill the space. The more we fill the space with light, the more we are able to see. Enlightenment – and I'm not necessarily speaking of Nirvana or Heavenly illumination, but possibly some simple answers to some very tough questions.
Anyway, these are just end-of-the-year thoughts as we race headlong into the future with all of its unexplored space and untapped probability. In the same way that you fill your mixes by leaving spaces – here's hoping that the New Year will bring you a way to fill the space in your life with light and understanding. If last year wasn't the best, may you go forward by cleaning out the clutter and filling the remaining space with peace, love and prosperity.
Most of all, from me, and those of us who are required to fill a space with at least one thousand words, we wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year, aligned with much space and potential.
