our new reality:

Dear music family. I feel the changes around me to a point that it is hard to breathe sometimes. Our creative content is losing value and yet is still SO important to create. When a community is standing in the devastation of physical buildings (as in war) they reach for the bow of their cello, they sit at a piano bench in their apartment, they stand on the steps of their government buildings and they SING… they PLAY… they make MUSIC.

In moments of true devastation (as in violence in an elementary school) we don’t reach for our money or our new car or new clothes… we reach within ourselves and we make art, we make music, we pray. There is a sacredness that attaches itself to the stories we tell and we sing and we create.

It is so easy for me to forget that creating art is sacred. Our world is attached to creating money and I completely believe in art having extrinsic value. I fight every day for our music to maintain it’s monetary value so that we may live comfortably in our world. Heading into July 2022 I want to dedicate myself to creating INTRINSIC value to the music that I create and allow myself to not worry about the extrinsic. I feel like my world and my community is in a deep crisis. I never want ANYONE to feel alone.

YOU are valuable. YOUR music is valuable. We need each other more now than ever.

bjewelb15@gmail.com is the address you can reach me. There are no easy answers. I will never stop believing in the good in all of us and we must love each other unconditionally. We must keep creating and believing and moving forward.

Much love, mad respect.