Today I have finished the cover art for my fifty two project (which is the header of this page) and like much of my work in the last couple of years, I used a rule. This rule applies to my music, sound, video and images and that is, the piece has to have something real in it.

Something which has been captured from the real world.

This means my music and sound work always feature something which has been recorded via a microphone, something which made air molecules move during the process. It could be a virtual instrument, but one that was played back through speakers and recorded in a space. Of course much of my work features found sounds, which helps me keep to the rule.

But for video and images, I often used to use generative digital content, something which was created solely in a binary world. But for fifty two and onwards, even my visuals will have an element of real in them, even if it is an overlay of something captured with my phone camera.

There is something about this creative rule, that really inspires me, it also gives me a strong sense of grounding my work in a non-digital, non-social media driven world….something that actually exists.

What is your creative rule for 2023?