“A Songwriter’s Avalanche”: Nature and Creativity in Jason Ringenberg’s Stand Tall

Abstract

Musicians have always sought inspiration in nature. The music they compose may represent nature in different ways. What is less known, however, is how this creative process unfolds. Through one case study—Americana artist Jason Ringenberg’s album Stand Tall—I explore how an encounter with the natural environment resulted in a burst of creative activity. Specifically, Ringenberg was commissioned by the U.S. National Park Service to write songs as an artist-in-residence in Sequoia National Park, California. Primarily based on an in-depth interview with Ringenberg, I show how creativity in nature takes many shapes. Specific sites and the circumstances in which Ringenberg encountered nature matter, as do experiences of solitude and closeness to nature through hikes and primitive living arrangements. The history and nature of the park—particularly its namesake trees and environmentalist John Muir—inspired the writing of songs that were directly representational of that environment. At other times creativity was opaque, even to the composer himself, in that songs were not thematically connected to the setting. Moreover, Ringenberg sensed a spiritual connection with nature which, filtered through his own beliefs and experiences, informed his personal artistic expressions.