“The Point of Inspiration” with composer and songwriter Joy Askew

I met up with composer and songwriter Joy Askew on a Sunday afternoon in her Bed Stuy apartment where she's lived for the last 9 years.  Joy is originally from Newcastle, England but has lived in New York since coming here in the 80's. Joy's creative space is her bedroom; she converted it into a studio with her piano, keys, and various recording equipment sharing the space with a bed and dresser. Joy's most recent record, Queen Victoria, was inspired by a memory from her childhood when she was a young girl and heard the sound of a brass band playing in the distance as it was approaching her home. This figment of an idea later came to take shape in the form of an album. Joy composed the album with a brass band in mind and was able to travel to England to record the 30-piece Brighouse & Rastrick Band. A "flock of birds" coming together to create an incredible sound.

When we spoke about inspiration and creativity and how Joy gets her ideas, she shared that usually there's a spark of an idea and sometimes it's just a matter of following it down the rabbit hole. There is always a concept to her albums. Some of her prior albums were inspired by the specific tuning of Joni Mitchell's guitar or the deconstruction of famous jazz songs which lead to the downbeat electrojazz album she worked on with multiinstrumentalist, Takuya Nakamura. Regardless of the idea, there is an effortless and spontaneous nature to her creativity, one that she allows to form without questioning its connection to her established path or sound.

Before ending our session, Joy mentioned something that I have not been able to get out of my head ever since. When she was asked to deliver a songwriting lecture at Berklee College of Music on the topic of what makes a good chorus, she analyzed her top 50 songs across the decades to come up with the elements that made these choruses successful. After all, she said, it is usually in the chorus that you can find the point of inspiration for the song. Perhaps to most musicians this is not news, but to me it was an incredible discovery. To think that you can find the nugget for the song in the chorus, was like unlocking the viewfinder into the songwriter's head.

Why am I so interested in this idea? Because it feels like the key to understanding art.  Not by asking the artist (especially when we don't often have the chance to do so) but by experiencing the art itself.

For me, my point of inspiration for this project is inspiration itself. Where is creativity derived from? I don't know what my ultimate goal is in this search for inspiration, but perhaps if you know the path of creativity you can somehow tap into it. Without art and beauty and inspiration, we're just skin and bones and blood (thanks Niall). Bodies in motion instead of beings.

Explore Joy Askew’s music: Website: Joy Askew FB: Joy Askew IG: @JoyAskewMusic

Sound Engineer Will Hensley in his Williamsburg home studio

If you're a NY musician, you probably met Will already so no introductions are needed!

For the rest of you, Will Hensley is an incredible musician and sound engineer. He has worked with many of New York’s musicians, either playing or mixing and mastering their music. I was excited to work with him because I really wanted to know more about his creative process and how his finely tuned ear allows him to take an artist’s vision for a song and make it happen. I only wish it would be possible to get inside his head to hear what he's hearing!

Will lives in an apartment in Williamsburg, BK and works mainly out of his bedroom. This is his creative space. He said he used to work out of a studio that he rented but realized there was no point in doing so when he could do the same work out of his home. He sound proofed his room including his closet to allow him to record different instruments in there (leaving only a small sliver of space for his shirts to hang). The rest of his space is minimal, with only a bed, and the rest is taken up by engineering equipment and instruments (some of which he made himself!).

He was working on a new mix for an artist while we were photographing, and as the song played in the background, he grabbed the guitar and started playing along, creating and improvising a beautiful melody to go along with the song. You could feel his complete immersion in it.

Here's how you can find Will Hensley: Website: http://wahproductions.com/ Email: will@wahproductions.com