Arts & Media

Arts and Media

Before I Let Go: Departing Contributor Shares Lessons

Seth E. Washington

The realms of art and media have inspired and fascinated me since childhood. Early on, those voices, those people inside of the radio saying eloquent things and singing emotive songs captivated my imagination and fostered an ongoing connection with broadcasting.

During those same years, I was introduced to live performance, with thanks to my Mother, through piano lessons and her signing us up for the church youth choir. I now appreciate the strong aesthetic foundation that I received from these endeavors. Piano teachers emphasized the highly effective structure of European classical music. While church hymns revealed the evocative strength of well crafted melodies aligned with empowering words.

Around the house, the sound of Dad's whistling got me hooked on the beauty of melody from a variety of music genres. In Ms. Lane's art class during Junior High School, my classmate Karen made music with her drawings and paintings. Her works were visual ballads and love songs. As best as possible, I studied her creations.

It's amazing how a picture can inspire a song or poetic words, while a deftly written verse can birth an epic, high definition scene within one's mind accompanied by an arousing soundtrack heard through the inner ear.

The television program, Inside the NFL, put it all together in a grand operatic montage showcasing highlights of professional football games. Edited with excellence, the vignettes featured poetic words voiced by the great John Facenda, a triumphant orchestral soundtrack juxtaposed with motion picture images of large athletic men draped head to toe in modern armour performing a kind of choreographed carnage. The intense action was shown both at normal speed and sometimes in dramatic slow motion as it unfolded upon the grassy plane outlined in white chalk, with a brown leather ball as the object of unflinching intrigue for the players, the fans, as well as, the networks who were broadcasting the game. It was an impressive convergence of media and arts, storytelling the splendor of modern sports.

Sunday mornings, before the games were played, church service was center stage with great songs sung in full voice by the choir, followed by an impassioned sermon delivered from the pastor with prayers and other elements situated throughout. Among things of value for me, church service was a magnificent and soulful live performance with a beginning, middle and end, along with timely interludes that accentuated the spirit of worship. The entire two hour production was a weekly tutorial on how to execute from start to finish and what 'well done' looks like.

These are some of the aesthetic nuances, present in my early life experiences, that have evolved in me an appreciation, effective perceptions, respect for and abilities within the space of mass media and contemporary arts. They remain aspects of my tool set that I've utilized and have thankfully sharpened while writing for V&P Community magazine.

Many thanks to Founder and Publisher Karen McConnell-Jones for providing me with the opportunity to write for the Performing Arts department which has since become the Arts and Media department. She is one-hundred percent a role model of what having a vision and a purpose truly means. Again, Thank You Karen.

Thanks also to all of my colleagues at the magazine and the studio. It has been a blessing and an honor to create content with you. Truly, teamwork makes this dream work. Continued success to you

To our cherished readers, abundant thanks and gratitude to you for your keen eyes, kind spirit and for taking the time to enjoy our words, images and graphics. You make the journey meaningful. Once more, Thank You.

My closing words include three lessons learned during my life time from a few treasured moments in arts and media.

Lesson from Luther Vandross: Know what it is that you do best and then do what it is that you do best

Luther Vandross, to me, is the greatest singer ever. I was fortunate to see him perform on two separate occasions in the early 1990s, at the former Cap Center arena in Landover, Maryland. Everything about his performance was grand on the level of old school excellence. The band, the background singers, the songs and their arrangements, the circular rotating stage, Luther's majestic tuxedo, everything was. Then he held the microphone and began to sing, no dance moves or choreography. For an hour and a half Luther Vandross held center stage and our rapt attention doing what he did the absolute best, singing.

Lesson from Dad: Art offers wisdom, receive it.

Like it was yesterday, Dad was driving my sisters and I home from the movie he had just taken us to see. Released in 1975, Aaron Loves Angela, is a Blaxploitation, romance, coming of age film starring, then, young actors Kevin Hooks and Irene Cara. In that moment we reminisced about what had just been witnessed on screen, enthusiastically recounting memorable scenes. Suddenly, my father's voice cut through the chatter with a simple question, "What did you learn?" He then began to share with us about the meaning of the things that we saw in the film. As a result of his question and insights, art continues to be for me a treasure trove of enlightenment, as well as, entertainment.

Lesson from the Lense: The gift indeed makes way, as stated in Proverbs 18:16, and this includes the greatness within.

For approximately ten years, I was an active photographer. Utilizing the 35mm still film format, I photographed weddings, births, corporate portraits, family reunions, college homecomings, homegoings, with on stage, as well as, backstage access and was hired by organizations and individuals to create images on their behalf. The camera was a passport, affording me entrance into rooms, places and spaces that were other wise off limits. These were rooms where famous people had gathered and spaces where certain wisdom flourished. Then the camera further ushered me into creative places within myself as the images I had captured began to inspire words needing to be written. As such, I write.

Continued success to the readers, the content creators, the leadership of V&P Community magazine and, as mentioned, Thank You.

Martina Turner 9/1

Happy Birthday !!! Love Always, Your V&P Family

September HappyBirthdayShout Outs

Belinda Stevenson 9/5 Happy Birthday World Traveler! I hope you are somewhere traveling. Love Karen!

Shani 9/6 Happy Birthday bestie, beautiful soul sister! Love Always, Chelle D!

Denairo 9/10 Happy Birthday creative, collective mind with a beautiful soul! Love Always, Your Family!

Lisa Middleton 9/14

Happy 93rd Birthday, Mommy! Love, Marjie

Elijah 9/2 Happy 11th birthday Elijah, my creative, smart, and kind son! Love Mommy

Dr. James Dula 9/8 Happy Birthday Godfather of Prince George's County. LOL! Got you and love you very much!

Asia 9/17

Happy Birthday beautiful, respectful, responsible, trustworthy smart cousin! Love Always, Your Family

Deanna 9/21 Feliz cumpleaños, mejor amiga, hermosa hermana del alma! Ama siempre Roxy & Chelle D!

Carson Joyful-Noise 9/22 Happy Doggy Birthday! You are truly mommy JoyfulNoise. I love you!

Ms. Rita Henry 9/24 Happy 80th Birthday Ms. Rita! Enjoy your special day and I will see you on the dance floor! Love Karen!

Evelyn McConnell 9/30 To My Darling Angel Happy Heavenly Birthday! I miss you very much! from your BIG baby Karen. Love you, my Angel!

Recognize your loved one's birthday in the next issue of our magazine by clicking the submit your birthday shout-out button on our website: https://vandpmediaproductions. com

Rosalind 10/03

Happy birthday beautiful soul sister! Love Always, Michelle

Shanda 10/04 Happy Birthday beautiful, respectful, responsible, trustworthy smart cousin! Love Always, Your Family

Kelvin Barnette 10/19

Happy Birthday Kelvin! From your lil sis Karen. Love you!

October HappyBirthdayShout Outs

Shanda & Tamia 10/4

HappTamia y Birt10/04 hday Ha awe ppy somebirth birthday twinsday beautiful ! soul sister! Love Always, Michelle

Nicole 10/16

Happy birthday beautiful soul sister! Love Always, MichelleMichelle Higgs 10/07 Happy Birthday Michelle and congratulations on your new home! Love Karen

William Steen 10/19 Happy Heavenly Birthday Uncle Bill! I hope you are taking care of mommy. Love Karen! Tasha 10/29

Happy birthday beautiful soul sister! Love Always, Michelle

Recognize your loved one's birthday in the next issue of our magazine by clicking the submit your birthday shout-out button on our website: https://vandpmediaproductions.com