Jason Lowe is a musician and visual artist currently based in Melbourne, Australia. He is a rare talent who is able to create stunning work in multiple mediums. He has released a series of beautiful acoustic albums which showcase his strong songwriting and his rare ability to build a world that truly draws you in. His latest album, Sorrow and Splendour, was recently released so we caught up with Jason to hear his thoughts on creativity, songwriting, and creating art in multiple mediums.
One thing I love about your sound is the mix of the lap steel guitar and your voice, which pair together so well. Lap steel guitar isn’t actually a very commonly played instrument, how did you decide to learn it?
I was first drawn to the lap steel guitar by instinct. The instrument had a mystical magnetism for me, It was one of those inner knowings, those feelings of inspired and absolute certainty.
The path of an artist is like that of any other in life, it is an ever evolving journey.
Like many people, I discovered your music through this viral video about creating a dugout canoe. How did you get featured in the video?
I was truly astounded and honored when I received a very kind message from a man named Jacob, who is a part of the organisation. He sent me very complimentary words and asked very politely if he could use the two tunes of mine for his video, I was thrilled to be a part of their creation. I am still in awe of it all.
Do you start by writing lyrics, or a melody, or a chord progression? What’s your process?
The process for me is definitely variable, there is no formula, but it is very common for me to begin with the music first, and I do tend to prefer it that way.
Has your songwriting process changed over time? What are the themes of your new album?
For me the process of my songwriting is something of a constant, it’s a core aspect of my very being.
The themes present in my new album “Sorrow and Splendour” come from a long meditation on what for me are the two great mysteries of life, existence itself, and love. Both so full of darkness and sorrow, yet so rich of beauty and wonder too.
The songs paint landscapes around experiences of lost love, brokenness and defeat, deep heartache, loneliness, longing, elation, adventure, revelation, beauty, and the ever present awe that I am enraptured by when marvelling at the magnificence of life’s journey.
What inspired you to write “The Sea of Home?” It’s an amazing track.
“The Sea of Home” was the first song written of the new batch. It was written within the turmoil and cataclysm of the end of a six year relationship with my first love. After longer than a year living in Canada together, whilst I was touring throughout very challenging circumstances, my first love and I reunited in Hawaii after many months apart. She was there discovering herself and pursuing her dreams, as I was in Canada pursuing mine. It was to be a glorious reunion, but upon my arrival the course of her love for me had shifted, evolved.
Being an ocean person from Australia, the long period in Canada had me missing the touch of the ocean severely, and there in Hawaii, among the devastation, I was reunited with the Pacific ocean once more, thus the title of the song was born. The ocean was a way of processing the pain for me, a cleansing and healing power, and the song expresses this.
Do you find yourself tapping a different vein of creativity when you’re songwriting versus when you’re painting, or do they ultimately derive inspiration from the same source?
That is a very good question, this is something I have thought upon with much interest.
The source of all creativity is indeed a mystery, as it should be, but there is definitely a difference in the experiences of painting and songwriting for me. It is incredibly difficult to touch upon, but there is a difference there. Ultimately both creative pursuits for me strive similarly to capture and express a sense of beauty, always. Both pursuits paint pictures, one in the mind, one for the eyes. Both speak to the heart and soul, both can say just as much as the other, but the experience one has when encountering each medium is different, just as it is in the creativity.
How do you stay motivated as a creative?
For me, inspiration from life is essential for creative motivation and output. I try to keep myself stimulated by different influences. The need for a muse is essential for me, whether it be love, nature, travel, or books and movies. But in the words of Leonard Cohen, no one conquers or commands creativity, unless you churn out jingles or something like that. But when you are channelling a pure form of creativity, the kind that visits you when it wishes to, no one can control such a force, your job is to show up, and to try and stay inspired until the time comes.
What’s your advice for any young creative trying to make it?
My advice would be to forget about the whole concept of ‘Making it.’ Destinations can be dangerous. In the words of Bob Dylan “You are in a constant state of becoming”
The path of an artist is like that of any other in life, it is an ever evolving journey.
What’s next for Jason Lowe?
My new album was just released and I will be touring nationally here in Australia and hopefully internationally throughout Europe and Canada.
For more on Jason, like his Facebook page and follow him on Instagram. Most importantly, you’ll want to pick up his new album (and the old one too!) at www.jasonlowe.bandcamp.com. It’s a very impressive album which is beautiful, haunting, emotional, and well worth a listen.
