Silent Minds (Artist Statement)

People have a tendency to say, "You have to be careful around the quiet ones, you never know when they're going to snap." An implicit association with insanity suggesting the outcome is inevitable for those who prefer to keep to themselves. Perhaps because it appears as if these individuals rarely express what is going on internally. Part of what we can draw from the statement rings true, however. Those who are quiet have as much going through their minds as anyone else, but may not feel comfortable expressing it to others around them. Regardless, there are mountains to be expressed, including some abstract concepts which words can only scratch the surface of. On the other hand, art is much more flexible, it is able to dive further to capture the depth and essence of emotion. As a quiet person, I have often found myself turning to music as a method of expressing my ideas, values and even my sense of identity.  My emotion became the atmosphere when I immersed myself in the world of sound, playing my guitar and letting the strings speak for me. I often realized that the extent of my emotion was much greater than what I originally thought after I began to play. By putting the right notes together, a composer can cause an individual to feel what they felt, sharing their pain or bliss for the duration of the song in a private and covert connection. Despite never saying a word, music has allowed me to express the quiet person's thoughts.