Let's catch up! I hope this e-mail finds all very upbeat, and focused on their goals and materializing their goals and hopes for the future. Speaking of hopes, let me start with the picture above! This picture was taken last month in Santa Monica during my trip out to California. I thought this picture was very striking to me for many reasons. I forgot who took the picture- if it was me or Chris Westenberger, mathematician extraordinaire. To me, this picture really encapsulates many things that relevant to my (other people's?) lives right now. First, the Ferris wheel is always something that I associate with youth, escape, and light-hearted mirth. But, all around it is the dark night and the looming black ocean. To me, it was a very powerful symbol of the endurance of all our dreams and your aspirations holding forth against oblivion. It just seemed magical, ethereal, triumphant, and cheerfully defiant- all of which I think could be said about me now as I continue to believe and work with my music.
Overall, the West Coast has a very different vibe to me- Los Angeles and California in general is said to be the ending point of all Western Civilization. (We stayed in downtown L.A., which is near the famous "MacArthur Park" of "MacArthur Park" the song fame- and there were no cakes anywhere in sight!!!) It collects all of our projections and seems to project them back. And there is a very ethereal, illusory quality to the area- after all- Los Angeles is where so much of our culture, media, and values are projection from, and with that, the whole area's energy holds this subtle power. It creates myths, legends, and encapsulates so many American Dreams. What I loved was to dip my fingers and toes into this slipstream of collective longing so as to inspire what I already am and all the things that I am becoming. The different energy of the area during this trip allowed me a space to hold myself above heavier issues of the moment for some time and really re-collect.
Oh, and I had plenty of time to lounge around with my friend and drink some fancy drinks and take some hikes, and explore the burgeoning art scene of downtown Los Angeles. From there, we ventured up in a big ass Jeep at 86 m.p.h. up to Davis, California and the surrounding Bay Area. Davis, California is a charming little town with an emphasis on "sustainability," biking, asian food, and farming. Some of your may also recognize the town from the pepper-spraying scandal that erupted on campus when students refused to cease their protest. None of that this time- just a charming little idyllic town with a marvelous 12 mile biking loop and good Chinese food (rare!)
The levity of my trip last month helped me focus intently on the challenges that I have been facing. So much of what I do is work that is being built and harnessed from a world that doesn't physically exist yet. My job and challenge as an artist is to continually pull from that world and materialize it into this world, and to remain resolute in that process- even when it feels slow and painstaking. Whether it's finishing a new song, or attaining the perfect balance of concrete worldly action and other-worldy inspiration, I have to remain confident that I will fully realize my wishes. My mission with music is to reach people in a spiritual way, to communicate powerfully with my songs, and to enter a haunting realm of mass consciousness that can transcend the physical limitations of our lives. But, I must remind myself, this broader vision is completed one lyric at a time. One e-mail at a time. One period of research at a time.
Right now is honestly an excellent time for everyone to find the tangible steps for their biggest, grandest aspirations. I know that many of us are learning how to implement our eventual wishes with systematic steps over a larger period of time. Anyway, to us, and our future!
Forever,
Eric Contractor
P.S. Spotify Search: "Did you mean "Epic Contractor?" No- but, actually, yes!
(In other words, my album "Night Escape" can be found on Spotify!!!)