Creating empathy windows - Ren Gill: A light in the dark

avatar
(Edited)


Screenshot from YouTube video shared within this post

"The main purpose of art... is to create an empathy window."Ren Gill


Warning... video content contains f-bombs

From his band The Big Push to duets and solos... Ren Gill is a very special young man and a true creative. His YouTube account is littered with comments from people suffering from depression, ME, Lyme disease, and psychosis... and testimonies of how much his music and words have helped them to survive their demons. He creates an emotional connection through his carefully chosen words, dramatic performances, and use of clever audio/visual cues and techniques.

Ren Gill is not just a musician; he is a performance poet, an artist, and a voice for a generation. I came across him the other day in a post by @snook where she shared one of his songs - an epic rendition of Hi Ren which will make up one of my #threetunetuesday official shares today.

For those unfamiliar with #ttt or #threetunetuesday... and who would like to take part, then the just is as follows according to @ablaze :

"Every Tuesday I'm going to share 3 songs which I like to listen to and I invite your feedback in the comments below. Better still, why not have a blast of your own Three Tune Tuesday and mention me in the post and I'll come and find the post and upvote it. If you could also use #threetunetuesday tag that would be great, as that is what I use when sifting through all the entries every Wednesday. It'll be a sweet way for us all to discover new music. You'll also be in with a chance of winning the prize..." Check out @ablaze's latest post here

In 2010 Ren was signed to the Sony Record label but quickly lost his contract when he fell ill, being diagnosed with Lyme disease and M.E. years down the line. He also suffers from an autoimmunity disease. Today, Ren self-promotes his music and spends his time recording his work, and busking the streets of Brighton in the UK when he isn't confined to his bedroom.

If you'd like to understand more about the person behind the personality, feel free to go down the rabbit hole with Ren... just as I did...

In the meantime, this first shared song and YouTube video link, and the pinned commentary by Ren beneath it, gives you a very good insight into the pain and anguish of living a life defined by chronic illness - autoimmunity, M.E., and stress-induced psychosis, to name just a few.

Note: This video footage features repeated use of the f-bomb although personally, I don't feel that it is indiscriminate or gratuitous within the context of the vlog. As a result, however, it does not meet PG13 rating guidelines.

Nina Simone once said that it was an artist's duty for their work to fearlessly reflect their life circumstances. In 2016 I had a stem cell transplant that saved my life, this video was taken two years before that. After the transplant, I decided to force my past into a little box and hide it from myself. I wouldn't ever watch this video back. There has always been a part of me that's terrified that I'll end up back here and lose myself again. That part of me always gets loudest when I'm on my own with my thoughts.Source - Ren Gill

Patience


Full lyrics here by Ren Gill

Patience

And I have the heart of a lion
And the stars burn bright inside of me
And although you test me, my God
I stand so proudly can't you see
But I have the strength of a mountain
And I'll take all You throw at me

Patience is Ren's attempt to share his experience of living with his illness and to describe what motivates him to get up every day. I had this song on repeat for hours. His story touched me so deeply and I was completely drawn by this young man who has, despite the odds, continued to fight back and pour what little energy he has into being creative, remaining true to his authentic self, and reaching out to connect with and help others. Despite dealing with isolation, loneliness, and the depression that comes with a life devoid of hope a lot of the time, he manages to lift himself up and somehow remain positive.

Chalk Outlines

Live performanceby Ren Gill and CHINCHILLA

Chalk outlines
I'm still here in this bed that I crawled in
I hope that I'm someone else in the morning
So take this one, wash it down and you'll be fine
Then walk around in a floating chalk outline.

Copyright XVii Records - Full lyrics here by Ren Gill

Chalk Outlines describes how the use of pharmaceuticals acts as a temporary mask for how Ren feels and experiences life; he can erase his real self and hide behind redrawn images that he presents to the world. The tragedy is that in using these forms of legal drugs to enable him to survive in the world... he is simply doing that... surviving and not living. He might as well be walking around inside a dead body for the quality of life that it gives to his authentic self. In a life where we have to take a pill to mask the symptoms of depression, we erase and redraw imprecise and rough images that represent a fraction of what and who we truly are...

Hi Ren

Note: NSFW content. This video footage features repeated use of the f-bomb although personally, I feel it is appropriately used to distinguish the different aspects and paradox of personalities shown within the context of the song. As a result, however, it does not meet PG13 rating guidelines.

"This is no longer a song. This is no longer music. This is a soul splitting open and exploding into art."Ari Grossman's apt commentary on Hi Ren

Hi Ren is performance art at its best! I have never before seen such an engaging tour de force in music. The song showcases both the dark and light sides of human nature or simply two sides of the same coin, as Ren says. On the one hand, we have the inner torment and fight to survive; to suppress the forces of darkness at play in our minds. On the other hand, we have the little voice of doubt, the shadow that hangs over us - gaslighting, mocking, and undermining our confidence and ability to move forward with our lives. Ren uses lyrics, dramatic performance, and lighting techniques to accentuate the duality of our human nature and to show the fractured and frenzied state of a mind in turmoil, struggling to survive. Of a human being working hard to escape the clutches of the dark side and to emerge victorious in the light.

As Ren says at the end... when the guitar is finally put away... and he takes the chance to address his audience and to describe his journey and struggle with autoimmune illness and stress-induced psychosis...

"It wasn't David versus Goliath, it was a pendulum eternally swaying from the dark to the light, and the more intensely that the light shone, the darker the shadow it cast. It was never really a battle for me to win. It was an eternal dance... It is this eternal dance that separates human beings from angels, from demons, from gods, and I must not forget... we must not forget... that we are human beings."Ren Gill

Bonus content... 😂💗

The Tale of Jenny and Screech (360 degree video)

Warning: NSFW content. Lyrics may cause distress or act as a trigger for anyone sensitive to explicit language and references to physical violence towards women.

A brilliant trilogy - one of Ren's seminal works of performance and lyrical art. It reminds me a lot of Elvis Presley's In The Ghetto in the message of cyclical pain and suffering and is a statement creating awareness of the senseless violence and hardship still being experienced by many behind closed doors and on the backstreets of our society. This live version performed at a street concert in Brighton in the UK, covering all three songs in the trilogy, was filmed in 360-degree video which allows one to pinch and scan 360 degrees at any time throughout the recording. I believe it can also be watched using a set of VR glasses for a more immersive experience!

I hope you enjoyed this Three Tune Tuesday Post as much as I enjoyed exploring Ren's portfolio of creative works.

Header image is a screenshot of the video preview from one of the YouTube clips shared in my post from the YouTube website which YouTube allows to be shared using their share button.

Infinity divider created using Canva Pro library.

Dreemport banner used with permission of @dreemsteem and @dreemport and designed by @jimramones

hive-193816 music threetunetuesday vyb proofofbrain thealliance pimp teamuk hive-engine ren
0
0
0.000
49 comments
avatar

Hi @samsmith1971,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
For more information visit our discord https://discord.gg/8CVx2Am

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

@stickupboys do you know this guy at all? He hails from your neck of the woods. I would love to catch him live on the streets of Brighton!

@snook I thought you may enjoy reading up a bit more about Ren and checking out some more of his music, since you introduced him as an artist to me through your blog 🤗.

@dreemsteem if you get a chance, take a read and listen to this wonderful young man and his journey through pain and creativity. 💗

@stuartcturnbull this is the young Welsh musician I was telling you about that struggled with M.E.

@nickydee something tells me you might just love this guy!

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

ye he is, was chatting about him the other day but dont know him lol

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

!LOLZ I didn't mean personally haha... that should have read... do you know of this guy?😂I wondered if you had ever had the pleasure of seeing him out busking. Hope you're having a great week, guys!

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Congratulations @samsmith1971! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)

You published more than 250 posts.
Your next target is to reach 300 posts.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

To support your work, I also upvoted your post!

Check out our last posts:

Our Hive Power Delegations to the March PUM Winners
Feedback from the April Hive Power Up Day
Hive Power Up Month Challenge - March 2023 Winners List
The Hive Gamification Proposal
0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Yay! 🤗
Your content has been boosted with Ecency Points, by @lhes.
Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!

Support Ecency
Vote for new Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Ren!!!!!

I just love this guy, he has really great meaningful songs😭😀

Have you listened to Diazepam and Dominoes...

You'll be singing along at the top of your longs in the shower😂😂😂

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

He's incredible! He is a go-to artist every day for me now. I had listened to Dominoes already... but had not come across Diazepam yet! Thanks for that! Honestly, his music is so imbued with deep-seated emotion and hard-hitting truths; so much pain and endurance. So much courage. These two songs are great. Have added Diazepam to my YouTube saved Ren folder !LOLZ !LUV

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

😭😭😂😂
He has even more fun songs, I think his type of music is just so electrifying...
I'm addicted for real ..😭😭😭

Check Alright, Money game part 1 and 2, Freckled Angels...

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Yeah I have checked those out already - some really good material and I have saved it all to a Ren folder lol... but I can only use so many songs in a #threetunetuesday before @ablaze might start looking at me sideways 😂😂😂 so for now... I think my bonus content is pushing the envelope enough hahaha. thanks for the further recommendations though. I appreciate the thought!

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

A great analysis Sam and it does throw up all sorts of questions about who we are, what we are and about our current society, in particular the role of pharma industry. The striking thing about the Hi Ren song is that we are both good and bad and the life long battle we have with our egos. Some are completely ruled by their egos (a huge majority I would say) and just a small percent acknowledge its existance.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

hi Steve, thanks for dropping in with such a cool and insightful comment. What you say is truly valuable. We can't solve any issues within ourselves or the world for that matter unless we first...

acknowledge its existence.

This is so key. And once we acknowledge that first and foremost we are all human - we are all fallible beings at our core, and we should expect to stumble from time to time, we can then appreciate that the ego has no place in any of this... and is in fact a major hurdle to upward progress. As Ren says, we need to relax into who we are... and then we are much better placed to deal with the fallout and to make changes for the better in our lives... opening those doors wider and wider to let the light in !LUV !ALIVE

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Chalk Outlines describes how the use of pharmaceuticals acts as a temporary mask for how Ren feels and experiences life; he can erase his real self and hide behind redrawn images that he presents to the world

I just left a comment that is a bit relevant to "Chalk Outlines" on a post by @denmarkguy about ADHD:

One of my sons started having extreme academic problems when he was in high school. We had him tested and the diagnosis came back ADHD.

He began taking a small dose of Ritalin, but it had no effect. They upped it to a moderate dose and he was suddenly able to focus and concentrate in class. It greatly improved his ability to sit in class for 4+ hours and listen and pay attention.

However, he began to notice that, although his in-class focus was greatly improved, as soon as the medication wore off (i,e. late afternoon / early evening), his post-medicated focus and state-of-mind was much worse than it was pre-medicated.

As a result of that realization, he began to search for ways to manage and cope without the meds. He was able to do that and is far happier as a result. (One of the coping methods was getting into a different academic program -- one that was more hands-on and less sitting in a chair listening to lectures).

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

There is always the balancing of energy, right? It has to come from somewhere. Even the pendulum swings left to right and back again to maintain momentum. Highs are balanced by lows. My youngest has autism, ADHD, (Pathological) Demand Avoidance - I bracket the first word as it makes him sound psychotic which he isn't - and Sensory Processing Disorder. If he has a great day at school per his teacher (high focus, good attentiveness and work output - for him this means maintaining an hourly cycle of 20 minutes classwork, 20 minutes educational choosing time, and 20 minutes own interest choosing time), then he is pretty exhausted emotionally and mentally when he gets home. Never physically!!! !LOLZ And when he was at pre-school he would mask all day at school and then get in the car and melt down EVERY SINGLE DAY. The school didn't understand it. Then one day the wheel turned, they started prepping preschool kids for transition to Primary school. It got too much for him. He became overwhelmed on a daily basis at pre-school and a few times destroyed the parent room, throwing things everywhere and upturning chairs and tables. Get him home and he was settled and sweet as pie. So yeah... there is a definite need to recognise the quid pro quos and the need for our bodies/systems to adjust accordingly to the demands placed upon it, including the demands placed indirectly through medication which forces our bodies to respond in a different way from our own norm.

I'm so pleased that your son has found a way to navigate the muddy waters of his own ADHD struggles in a way that doesn't cause him more stress or harm. The world needs to wake up and stop treating people as numbers and guinea pigs... what academic program has he found that is working for him. I'd love to know so that I can start looking for something similar here in the UK as he heads towards High School himself (he is 10 at the moment and starts High School Sep 2024)... is it run in conjunction with the High School or did he need to enroll somewhere else instead of traditional High School? Always interested to hear what works for people as being armed with more knowledge puts me in a better position to help my own child.

!LUV !ALIVE

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

what academic program has he found that is working for him

He’s doing HVAC through our local vocational technical school.

He originally did pre-engineering (Project Lead The Way) through the same vo tech school (for three years), and really struggled with that program.

He’s doing really well with the HVAC program, and has gained a ton of confidence along the way. He’s in his final year (of the two-year program), so now he’s working full time for an HVAC contractor and attending classes just one evening a week.

Also, something like the wood-joining program Cal did over there in the UK might be worth looking into.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Sounds great, thank you for the info. I will certainly check out these programs in the US and see what similar things look like over here... and then look into alternatives for him so that if he struggles with mainstream schooling we have options to consider. !LUV

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar
(Edited)

The positives for him with HVAC is that it is very technical, so it requires a solid understanding of certain aspects of physics and chemistry, coupled with strong problem-solving skills, but it’s also very hands-on, so he’s constantly moving and always doing something different, so he stays interested and challenged.

And, he jokes about how someday he'll probably be earning more than his older brothers, both of whom got engineering degrees (thanks in large part to the government regulations that severely limit who can do what with A/C systems and refrigerants).

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

he’s constantly moving and always doing something different, so he stays interested and challenged.

this right here... is key!!!

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Tremendo talento hermano! Eso fue increíble! Bien hecho!

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

He is something special, right? Thank you for taking the time to read this piece on him. !ALIVE !PIZZA

Es especial, ¿verdad? Gracias por tomarse el tiempo de leer este artículo sobre él. (translated with Deepl)

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Delighted that you discovered Ren, he is a unique talent, no doubt about it. I discovered him thanks to @trucklife-family when her post introduced me to The Big Push and then Youtube recommended Hi Ren a few days after it was first released. I was blown away by the performance and hi back story, absolutely blown away. I really hope that he has success, but only success on his terms and as much success as he can "handle", such a cool human. Chalk Outlines is another favourite, beautiful tune.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

A remarkable creative indeed. Have been enjoying his music. Spent the weekend with extended family and was thrilled to discover that one of the peeps we were with had seen the Hi Ren video before, and had also been blown away by Ren! Hope you are having a wonderful and blessed Easter, @ablaze 💗🙏 !LUV !ALIVE

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Oh my my!! SAM, what an intensity this post was 🙌🙌 it took me a while to go through it because his music is really deep!! And I could most definetly relate to it... especially that 2nd song. I simply LOVED it ❤️😍

It's like I could feel every word he was saying, and that 3rd song... Jesus!!! That is so damn hard to do!! And the most beautiful thing is that it is so real, so raw! I had to show that to my boyfriend as well as he was also blowned away by him 🙌🤗😍

I can't decide which one I like the most but that 2nd and 3rd ones were spot on for me!! I loved the chemistry they showed on the 2nd and the harmonies they created gave me goosebumps 😆😆

Just beautiful!! Well done my friend , an amazing find you gave me ❤️

Much !LUV and !HUG 😍😘

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

aw so happy his music touched you. He's a wonderful soul. I think so many people can relate to what he has to say. He has quite a few songs that I really enjoy. I couldn't showcase them all but Seki recommended a few in the comments and if you surf youtube you'll find tons. I read your post last night but still need to drop my comment... My eldest had a migraine Thursday night late and I had to go lie down with him... and I fell asleep !LOLZ and woke up this morning curled up on his bed under my fluffy blanket... but I have your post open still so will go there now! !LUV

0
0
0.000
Reply