This is the sector of my blog where anything goes. All of my initial ideas and thoughts will go into this section. At this moment in time, whilst i know the true meaning of the song, i am keen to explore how different poeple relate to this song…both literally and in theory. The beauty of art is that it is open to interpretation, so i am keen to discover what this song means to other poeple….outside of the context with which it was written.
This was a quick video experiment i completed. I filmed Mischa playing along to a studio recording of another song he has made, called Air I Breath. I have loosely made these three takes into a triangle.. My reasoning for this isn’t really valid now, but when i shot it, it was with the intention of each take being projected onto a screen. The three screens would make a triangle the user could walk around…this never happened, so instead i hashed it together in after effects. The rotation is a simulation of someones potential movement around the screens.
Mischa Logo – DUMA Qualificatiuon Logo/DVD Design
Below are some sketches of Mischa i had made. The detail progresses nicely as i was unsure as to how much detail I wanted in the picture. I requested them to be draw in quite a rough and sketchy kind of way. This was because Mischa is a very rugged and alternative type of person and I wanted this image to reflect this….if only subtly. Here are the images…
These are a few designs i knocked together for Mischa at short notice. He has entered the Dorset Unsigned Music Awards and has progressed to the last twenty acts in the county, and the last remaining solo artist. So he asked me to make a logo at short notice that can be used in the promotion of the event. With regards to my designs i didnt really put much thought into the text that i used, but in terms of imagery and colour i wanted to reflect Mischas natural and organic sound and musical style. The use of floural imagery and organic colours is a testiment to the authentic and real element of Mischas musical talents, with Mischa, what you see is what you get and i felt these colours and style were very rustic, but also very true of Mischas personality.
On My Own - Lyrics
What’s the world got for me,
Just another enemy,
That’s just what I think, when I’m on my own.
What’s the sense in being free?
Nothing makes sense to me,
But that’s just how it goes, when you’re on your own.
I’m a liar, but not a thief,
Please don’t think less of me.
I’m only happy, when I’m on my own.
Don’t believe in Jews or Priests,
They don’t think much of me,
That’s only how I am, when I’m on my own.
What to do today?
Scrap my sins and learn to pray,
Something I must do, when I’m on my own.
Don’t know how to take my life,
See the deep blue sea,
Something I feel, when I’m on my own.
Sometimes I lose my way,
Sometimes I lose control,
But only when, when I’m on my own.
Sometimes I lose control
Sometimes I lose my way,
But only when, when I’m on my own.
Experimental Concepts
Experiment One: Abstract Meaning
Below are the images that were created by breaking down the lyrics. some of the meanings are abstract but these are the interpretations from different people.
Based on my visual experiments, i have extracted the essence of each line of the song, and poached some rather abstract images from a royalty free stock website. Anyway, i have layered these images up in time to a version of On My Own in the hope of creating a rather abstract but sensual piece of imagery. this is only for an experiment…but worked out nicely. I dont think the text really adds anything to it as a piece but i wanted to include them to reinforce the meaning behind the images. What is of complete importance, is the relationship between the music and the images. How do my images reflect the mood of the song and the content of the lyrics. This experiment has given me alot of food for thought, and has opened up an array of meaning for the song to adopt.
Below I have chosen to select clips from my experiment, to explain the logic and meaning behind the images and the song. For example, the mood and tone of the song evokes certain emotions or images in ones head. The basis of my choice of image was both a personal response, or one that was influenced by other people.
The images in this clip are a combination of both my personal response to the lyrics, and one that was influenced by other people during my initial experiment. The lyric, ‘Scrap my sins and learn to prey”…says to me, ‘stop fucking about, and get on with your life’. for me, I chose an image of Cocaine…as this is something i can relate to. whilst i should not include stuff of this nature in my work, It is a true and honest representation of the lyric, based on problems i have had in the past. There comes a point when you just want to run away, and start again….either socially, mentally or physically. The second image is reflection of the lyric ‘Its something I MUST do on my own’. It is a combination of what the lyric made other people think of and how it made me feel. The ideas ranged from shame, need, lust….perversion. for me, it sounds like someone seeking redemption or forgiveness based on things they have done in the past. This particular image conjurs up one of isolation and loneliness, the type of loneliness that can only come when your dealing with something shameful, something you just cannot admit to.
This next image is all about mood and sound. There is a big key change in the middle of the song that for me, represents a new beginning, a new start. That is why i chose the image of a newly born baby…the freshest beginning known to man. For me, this happy key change is very positive, and i feel the image of a baby reflects this well. The other image of the sunflowers is again added to enhance the fresh, organic notion of a new beginning…nothing represents fresh beginnings like a sunflower in bloom.
Experiment Two: On My Own
This experiment is simply an exploration of what it is to be on your own. In whatever form this meaning comes I hope to explore it in a fairly literal way. This meaning could be a feeling of isolation in a desolate landscape, or it could be a sense of overwhelming pressure. Everybody knows what it feels like to be alone, on your own, but we all react to this differently. I was raised in the countryside in the south west…yet I never feel more vulnerable and isolated than when i am in the middle of a big city. That feeling of insignificance in a place surrounded by people and life is a strange feeling, yet very true. Below are a series of drawings put together to reflect an array of interpretations of the song title….’On My Own’. the meanings are varied and sometimes a little abstract but what i am hoping to do is find a consistent theme within my work that may lead on visually to another level.
The Mountains are a symbol of freedom…an icon of the limitless world in which we live. The thought of being stood at the top of the mountain, totally free, gives me the sense of empowerment.
This image of a bus stop is more of a representation of how being alone makes me feel. I remember very very well between college and university being sat at many bus stops, in the rain…and in stark contrast to the mountainous symbol of freedom, the bus stop reminds me of being anything but free. Working a rat race as life moves on, and your confined to the four walls of your bus stop….miserable.
To feel ‘On Your Own’ is often a feeling of insignificance. And this is a feeling i get when i travel to the city alone. Seeing such a grandios beast such as a city in full swing makes you feel very insignificant and alone, which is strange seeing as you are surrounded by people and limitless possibilities with which to fill your time
On Your Own could in some ways spell vulnerability…as to be alone one could say that you are more open to physical or mental attack. This could also be an overbearing sense of vulnerability caused by the enviroment. Nothing reminds me of this more than an image of the ocean. I actually hate being out at sea, if for no other reason than being nothing more than a blot on the landscape in the grande belly of mother earths ocean!
The country side has a big place in my heart…as i was raised there. It conjurs up happy images of peace and tranquility. Being alone does not always have to be negative…it can be empowering and healthy. Just the thought of being at one with nature, with no people or machines to distract you is actually quite refreshing.
This is a similar image to that of the cityscape above. But this image is not so much about the content of city life….as more of a contrast between man made structure and nature. These static buildings in the foreground….cast against a back drop of clouds and stars flying by give a nice contrast. Of Life passing by as somethings stay still forever
This is very morbid. This image is of a graveyard. Death…no matter how many people are around your bedside. Nobody knows how it feels….and in my opinion is one of those experiences that you can never explain, never understand and only one person…YOU….truly knows what you think may happen in the afterlife.
This is very morbid. This image is of a graveyard. Death…no matter how many people are around your bedside. Nobody knows how it feels….and in my opinion is one of those experiences that you can never explain, never understand and only one person…YOU….truly knows what you think may happen in the afterlife. 
