Music for the Traveler

Homeward Bound
Originally uploaded by arizonaphotographic

Recently in my AP Art class we were assigned to create a digital collage/sculpture based on the concept of "there's no place like home." As soon as I was free to sketch my ideas for this project, I already had a good idea of what I wanted to convey through my collage. I wanted to design a worn down postcard that told a story of a traveling artist writing to her mother back home. This assignment really draws its roots from my complete obsession with female singer-songwriters of the 60s, most notably Joni Mitchell. Whenever I listen to her poetic based lyrics and acoustic guitar, I get the feeling I'm traveling through remote locales of a Canadian forest, wishing I was homeward bound. Her album Blue is like a dedication to the importance of remembering where you came from, especially since the majority of songs on that album were written as she traveled from California to Paris. It's like the only way she could truly know herself was to recognize where she came from by writing songs that cleared her head from the lifestyle of a tourist. Every song is its own letter home telling of the heartbreak, adventure, isolation, nostalgia traveling can leave you with. "California" is a perfect example of that, with lyrics like, "I'm going home to California/California/I'm coming home," she really conveys her longing for being at home. Also take note of songs like "This Flight Tonight" and the obvious hints at traveling through forms of transportation. Overall Joni's highly successful album, Blue, is the quintessential singer-songwriter album / music for traveling as its poetic lyrics and emotional charge illustrate the importance of knowing your origins.
As I continue working on this AP Art assignment, I will be drawing more and more inspiration from Joni Mitchell's music and work. She's such a wonderful visionary artist it is hard not to take note of her and be inspired. God! If I could just meet her I would just die and go to heaven.