10 Year Anniversary Partner — High Mayhem

Jun 21, 2019

High Mayhem Emerging Arts is inching towards 20 years. Over the years we have had to define and redefine who we are and what we do as our world changes and our lives change. We have been known as improvisational and experimental artists. To most, they think that that ethos and approach is confined to our art. But we have come to realize that the embracing of improvisation is what has allowed us to endure and regenerate. We have had to improvise around evictions, coming up short on rent, technological failures, loss of members through relocation and death, technological advances, planned obsolescence, loss of funding, loss of energy and enthusiasm, and plenty more.

Art is a reflection of life, and most do not realize that our lives and our work is improvisation. Improvisation is truly living in the moment. To take a snapshot of what is going on around us and to make the best decision we can in the face of the current circumstance. And repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Those decisions in music and art should be made without ego, and in consciousness of what best supports the whole. We do this in our homes, in our work, in our relations with friends and family. When we make a mistake, our job is to try and turn that mistake into an opportunity. I’ve come to learn through improvisation, that mistakes can be overcome by what comes next. A missed note that seems like a mistake can turn into a beautiful discovery, depending on how we react and what we do afterwards. It takes confidence and commitment. The mistake only becomes obvious when we hesitate to react to the circumstance.

So when Kindle asked us, what question we wanted to pose for their Carousel Awards. We wanted to see how others were using improvisation in their work. So we ask you “How does your work use improvisation to support our communities in New Mexico?” We hope that you take this idea and help realize and redefine what you do as improvisation. You are already doing it. Help us discover how and show us how this is making our state of New Mexico a better place.

For more on our current work regarding our On(e) Day project. Please visit the links below and consider subscribing to our newsletter and follow us on social media.

www.highmayhem.org/one-day/
www.highmayhem.bandcamp.com
www.youtube.com/highmayhem
www.facebook.com/highmayhem

High Mayhem

http://www.highmayhem.org

High Mayhem creates opportunities and events for underrepresented emerging artists. We present, document, and broadcast important creative art and music to our immediate community and the broader world via the Internet. We serve as a laboratory for creative minds to meet, develop, and collaborate to create and envision new and vibrant art and music. We pursue art a means to share experiences and connect people, trigger dialogue, and to awaken the soul and the spirit.