So here we are nearly twenty-four hours after concluding the latest Creative Arts Summit at Lakewood. What to write? At my briefest, I'd like to highlight the fact that no matter which moments are a given to savor - if not to list high atop the highlights - what makes the event so valuable is that you inevitably get some sort of surprise. A surprise that usually sticks with you for a while. Last year, for me, it was Brenda Arnold-Scott taking a poem into flight as a song by the time she was done with a reading. This year, it was one of the final singers. Name escapes me .... Deeton? .... Deaton? All I remember is that MC Y'Dhanna cracked wise after the lady gave her her name. And then the lady belted a beautiful performance that at least I didn't entirely see coming. Suffice it to say, there's a lot of talent hiding out at Lakewood.

One of the more interesting ideas to come up (in Cindy's workshop) was the possibility of a songwriters association of Lakewood folks. It'd be great to see that idea take root. And even better if there might be some sort of recording project based on the talent therein. Cindy referenced the notion of a lot of music that just comes from the seed planted in the words expressed in Lakewood: both musically and in sermons. Think of how the pros turned a Lisa Comes sermon into a tune (and then as a title of the Worship CD). Think of any number of songs that Heath Rosborough cut on his CD. Impossible to imagine the list ending there. Yet, with all the different styles of music that influence each of us, it strikes me as an interesting concept to put together something showing the variety of musical styles that, in their own way - and to borrow a phrase, sing from the same hymnal. Somewhere in the back of my own mind, I'm imaging my own heavy metal take on a Lakewood standard right next to the guy that jammed a Randy Newman-style number based on the title of Joel's first book ... right next to Ms. Deaton's number. Might just be me, but I'd buy that. Of course, I'd also insist on inclusion of an Aimee Beard number. Some things never change.

What struck me the most about Cindy's session, was that it sounded a great deal like the previous one I was in with Brian Tankersley. Repetitious in a great way, that is. There's a very different angle that both bring to their message and the way they affirm that similar view was a great combination. As part of my day job, we sometimes do advertising that allows us the opportunity to deliver the same, identical message in two very different ways. Those are the opportunities I love the most, since it gives you the opportunity to throw a great deal into the overall message. As I'm listening to Cindy open her remarks, I'm instantly drawing parallels to Brian's talk. Both of them stuck to a relatively general, philosophical view of their own creative process: songwriting, in Cindy's case; production, in Brian's. What I most enjoyed about Brian's was the sentiment that the role of a producer is to "serve, enable, and to help others." Again, I'm sketching out parallels on my own day job in communications. It's not my own story that I end up telling as part of the job. In a very real sense, I'm performing a similar role as "producer" of someone else's message - serving, enabling, and helping others make their message as clear, effective and amplified as it needs to be.

Naturally, a highlight of Brian's session was taking all 55+ of us on a brief tour of the 5th floor production facilities. It's difficult to get beyond a summary description of just saying "It's really, really, really awesome." Ya know, just dragging out and emphasizing the word "awesome" as if it would become clearer the longer I do that? I think I might have given some descriptor of it as being like throwing a drug addict into a crack store. Not really sure that's the best way to describe it, though. What with it being church and all. Let's just say if I'm ever informed of the presence of a cot and showers, I might have to make some inquiries as to what type of rent it would require to just move into the place. I'd known that the band basically all plugs into the sound board during service - something that strikes the amateur sporadically-practicing musician in me as odd. But I'm not the professional, am I? We - I - got a very real sense of what that allows the production team to do as Brian rolled video of the footage, isolating the drums, keys, choir, vocals, horns ... and yes, guitar! Suddenly, I'm real tempted to see what it would take to make three or four very different versions of the same song from the same recordings. Perhaps just as well that we were all shuttled out of the studio after this. Like I said ... it was really, really, really awwwwesome. I also have to credit Brian for speaking to a particular interest of mine in his discussion, too. Dann Huff (see here for a good interview with him on producing.) If you want to hear why that's a particular interest of mine, here's a CD that should be in every fan of the 80s' collection. If you're not sold after the guitar solo on track four, there's definitely something wrong with you.

Michael & Carrie Hodge's session (started as separate, ended up as combined) was it's own particular brand of awesome. Although the aim wasn't directly at someone like me - I'm not likely to be in a worship band anytime soon and I clearly should not be allowed to sing in public. But it's enlightening to see what all goes into making a worship band great. My own experience has been limited to trying to put together a band that could survive being in the same garage together. And under no set of circumstances, was I ever successful. But I always chalked that up to me being a guitar player with no previously standing musical training. My biggest challenge was always talking to drummers. I never knew what to tell any of them I needed to make any idea I had work. And the few times we had a genuinely great drummer who could do anything under the sun, they'd be up and out for a better opportunity with a band that had it a little more together. Suffice it to say, I saved up for a 4-track recorder only to give it up when I concluded that buying a drum machine was just not a route this purist was willing to take (*hums "I Was Made for Loving You" by KISS*). What was interesting to see in Michael's experience was that the challenges from a professional really aren't immensely different. At the end of the day, you're still dealing with people. And that's a challenge no matter where you are.

The part of the session with both Hodges was something that I'm not sure I've got words for yet. And they didn't even sing one song. That's how amazing they are. And if you ever get the opportunity to observe them working one-on-one to grow the kingdom in a way that they specialize in, it's even more amazing.

Moral of the whole story is that there's any number of moments that could qualify as worth the price of admission. But since I was blessed by a freebie from GuiGrl, I think I have to calculate the event as infinitesimally worth the price of admission (unless barred to do so since I'm dividing by zero). "Great job" to Wendell "Baby" Burton and team for putting the whole thing together. I thought it kinda funny that I ended up getting asked to run video for Saturday morning. Last year, I was a tad trepiditious about going and asked Wendell if he needed any volunteers - thinking that if he did, that might be a worthwhile tradeoff for me. No luck then. No complaints now. I think it's safe to say that the Creative Arts Summit (or, as I refer to it: thingy) is one of the funner events to spend a day (plus) taking in.