Artist Spotlight: Trever Hagen
credit: Graham Tolbert.
“There is a nexus between art and society. I wouldn’t say art reflects society, rather art makes society. We bond through art, our friendships are forged through song, we understand ourselves as humans from novels written centuries ago. A painting might make us gentler toward a stranger. A way of dancing together, a gesture of a toe-tip might show us something about our bodies. A tune from the past might reach into the mind of a person with dementia and bring them back out so we can see them again. In those little bits, those human-to-human interactions that happen through shared aesthetic experiences, the world becomes a better place. We connect. ”
Musician, writer, community-builder Trever Hagen has been blending his love of various arts to the betterment of them all. Originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, he spent 14 years traveling the world before returning home. Ever mindful of the history of music, and its ability to bring people together, he writes: “People gather around music like they gather around / fire. We listen, we gaze. / Making fire and making music are kindred human / activities that create shared sensory collectives. / Heat and vibration, materials through which we / build ourselves.” Read on for the full interview with Trever, and check out his music on Spotify, Apple Music, and elsewhere.
1.) Tell us a bit about your “art origin story”? When did you first fall in love with your art?
It's good to visit this question as often as possible - thank you for asking. I say that because I believe that staying in touch with one's child-like nature is both the origin and departing point for creativity. I've been reflecting on this a lot lately, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic that has left many performing artists seeking some type of understanding or resolution of what performance means – and for all arts – and where do we go from here. I like to write and play music, so each has a slightly different origin. For writing, I fell in love with how reading can absorb and transport someone. Mainly this occurred for me via stories in fantasy books that I read as a kid - reading and drawing were my number one hobbies growing up. Music came in middle school/high school and served as a type of bonding mechanism/inclusion device for a social group. Since I didn't play sports, music gave me a sense of belonging. It is a social practice. But the trumpet-object became highly associated as some type of identity, and that gets complicated later on in life. (i.e. - allow yourself to change and listen to those changes and grow from them).
2.) What role have teachers played in your development as an artist? Any one stand out?
Teachers have played an enormous role in both positive and negative situations. Both situations require a lot of un-doing and un-learning, in my opinion. By that, I mean to say I've had some teachers shame my art and that has taken years to get over or get through or understand (which is certainly why I take a more defiant position in my artistic voice – I’m standing up for my inner child because someone has to). Unfortunately no one can teach you your voice besides yourself. You must listen for it, hear it and then admit it to yourself and then hold on. A good teacher will show you that and encourage that path, so a good teacher is one who listens. As artists, what else are we here to do? Connect your inner world to others' inner worlds through this magical bridge of art. Then we all feel less alone. There is not a formula. There is technique, which is perhaps something different, but that is grammar one could say, not the expression. It is part of the convention that becomes the touchstone between us.
3.) What advice would you give to young folks thinking about pursuing an education or career in the arts?
Show up for the work and believe in what you see, think and hear. There are no rules (unless you want them), you are the sense-maker.
4.) Describe how you use art and creativity in your craft as well as your everyday life.
Hmm, this is a difficult one! In the everyday, I am always trying to get something from anything I am doing, no matter how mundane - by getting something, I mean a piece of inspiration, or a perspective. I attempt to 'notice what I notice' and then funnel that back into creative work. So-called aesthetic-reflexive techniques. This comes through radical empathy (if we are here to communicate unknown inner-worlds, having empathy helps one to see the broad strokes of humanity, the connecting points). In my craft of music, I tend to seek out the non-conventional as a philosophy. As a way to explore new areas of thought and feeling. Experimental, in that sense, because it is less of a quest for answers as it is for more and more questions. This is accomplished mainly through improvisation. In writing, I'm quite fascinated by the other side of creativity: narrative structure in composition and creating bonds with an audience using genre. So improvisation and composition fill out some type of a whole creative practice.
5.) How can art make the world a better place? Can you share a personal example?
There is a nexus between art and society. I wouldn't say art reflects society, rather art makes society. We bond through art, our friendships are forged through song, we understand ourselves as humans from novels written centuries ago. A painting might make us gentler toward a stranger. A way of dancing together, a gesture of a toe-tip might show us something about our bodies. A tune from the past might reach into the mind of a person with dementia and bring them back out so we can see them again. In those little bits, those human-to-human interactions that happen through shared aesthetic experiences, the world becomes a better place. We connect.