The Johnny Cash Project

Today in class when we saw the video of the choir singing it reminded me of a project I particpated in a couple years ago: The Johnny Cash Project. I can't say it was as uplifting as the video we watched, and nowhere near a spiritual experience as Dr. Burton had putting together the video he created, but it was still neat to be part of a project that was open to anyone with an internet connection that had an interest in Johnny Cash.

The Johnny Cash Project was (and still is) a collaborative effort to create the late Johnny Cash's final music video. When I signed up for the project I was assigned a single frame of the video to paint online in any way I wanted. I created the best artwork possible and then posted it on the website for others to view. The way that your artwork makes it into the video is by other users voting it up or down.

I am not an artist, and going in I knew that my artwork would not be chosen, but it was still neat to be able to create artwork that might end up in his video. I was able to vote on others' artwork as well and view some incredible (as well as some pretty unspectacular artwork like mine) art.


Here's a link to the website:

http://www.thejohnnycashproject.com/

Here's a link to the YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwNVlNt9iDk


I have a huge background in music. Growing up I played the trombone and I have been in countless ensembles (I actually attended the University of Utah as a music major before my mision). One of the most powerful experiences I have ever had is performing with a full symphony, and since I don't play anymore I miss that quite a bit. Being able to collaborate with others on projects online has been a similar experience for me. Even though my artwork didn't make it into the video, it was still neat to be able to participate in a musical project with thousands of other people.