Lockdown, Art, Music & Stevie Wonder

Many of us are looking at different ways of dealing with the pressure and stresses of the current national lockdown/Covid experience. I am fortunate in being able to continue working, and have moved all my appointments online or by phone. Much of my time not working has been spent immersing myself in art and music. We are fortunate to have a wonderful record shop nearby Lorenzo’s. During the period of time when “non-essential” shops were able to open, I visited regularly, buying vinyl records and soaking up the music. This has mostly been Jazz music during lockdown but recently I have been re-listening to 3 of my favourite 1970s Stevie Wonder LPs: Talking book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life.

The music comes to life on vinyl. I have the records on Compact Disc too but the listening experience is less impactful, lacking in dynamic sound, and less full of colour. Love’s in Need of Love Today, Have a Talk with God, and I Wish are particularly relevant at the moment and have an uplifting as well as healing quality to them - lyrically as well as musically.

Stevie Wonder, Drawing from Talking Book LP Sleeve

Much of Stevie Wonder's music has a spiritual dimension which can help take you out of your day to day life into a deeper state of calm, reflection and space.

As a friend of mine said you cannot learn what Stevie Wonder has. He has a gift and remains a truly great musician and artist. I bought myself an electric piano at Christmas and have been trying to teach myself some of his music - Living for the City and Superstition as well as some Motown classics by other artists such as I Heard It Through the Grapevine. I find trying to read music painfully slow - having not learnt it when I was younger. It is still worthwhile making the effort. YouTube also has plenty of online tutorials which are relatively straightforward to follow and worth exploring. I continue to draw every day. I believe tapping into our creative expression, and developing this side of ourselves, can be a key to our health, direction and growth. You can see more of my drawings on Instagram.

Pages from Sketchbook (Brockley coffee shop below, lounge stuff above)