Ah, November — the month the world begins to slow down, where moments of gratitude seep into every day as we begin to recognize the new year ahead. As we near Thanksgiving, the holiday focused on gratitude (albeit its quite unsavory conception), I asked several members of Luna Negra what artists or creators they feel most grateful for. Each respondent described a moment where someone else’s creativity impacted their lives.
For Reese Urbach, she felt that Fleetwood Mac had especially impacted her, with an emphasis on Stevie Nicks. Urbach grew up hearing the band play in the car with her parents, long before she had found her own emotional connection to the band. As she got older, the lyrics began to mean more to her, with many of the songs seeming to highlight the moments she felt she was living through. She mentions“Landslide” in particular — the longtime hit that Nicks wrote when she was 27 and feeling unsure towards her life and future. Knowing that uncertainty is a familiar experience for many, Urbach felt less alone in her feelings. Fleetwood Mac transformed into the “soundtrack” of her teenage years. She believes that’s why the band has had such a lasting impact — its root in the vulnerability of human experience instead of chasing hits.
Tara Jones recognized a different type of influence in the visual artist Scott Christian Sava. Jones admires not just his creations, but rather how he opens up about the artistic process. His “hair journal” collection, which highlights people of differing backgrounds and identities, showcases the importance of individuality and compassion in art. Jones sometimes struggles with feeling “behind” when falling into the comparison game so many artists have experienced before, but through Sava’s recollections of the artistic process Jones has felt more comfortable with her pace. She’s grateful for his work, but also for the broader supportive community it has created.
For Jamie Zickefoose, gratitude is focused on writing. Zickefoose found that Ian Reid is an author that was able to capture scenery in a perfect way, allowing for the artistic vision of his book to be properly portrayed in a movie adaptation. Reid’s combination of being able to create psychological horror that feels “layered, thought-provoking and horrifying” is a feat that inspires Zickefoose. Since his novels are capable of translating through separate genres and themes while keeping the suspense alive, Zickefoose feels inspired to continue to explore her own writing techniques. Reid’s work has allowed Zickefoose to write how she wants, without worrying which category her work is ‘meant’ to fit into.
Sophie Swengel’s answers focused on the singer-songwriter Tim Buckley. Originally, when Swengel encountered Buckley’s work she had an immediate physical reaction “as if a terrifying wind had run down her spine”. She admires the growth that Buckley portrayed through the evolution of his albums, and how fearless he was in terms of exploring different creative directions. Swengel points out how people nowadays often create jokes about intense admiration, but that finding gratification in art is important. Swengel states it perfectly: “You have to be grateful for everything that comes in your way, because it all shows you some new shade of yourself.”
Cover Photo by Hilmarie Figueroa on Unsplash
