---

By Sandra Hernandez

Editor-in-Chief (EIC)

MACON, Ga. – Senior at Middle Georgia State University Jackson Griffith invites everyone to view his art exhibition starting on Oct.23 to Oct.27  

Griffith has been preparing his senior art exhibition for a year and is excited to finally share it with the MGA community. His exhibition will be on display all week and to close out his exhibition, he will have a final performance on Oct.27 at 6:30 p.m. in the SOAL Arts Complex Theater on the Macon campus. 

Jackson said that it is part of being in the art program to have an exhibition displaying their artwork. He decided to do it differently as a graphic design major and musician to use it as an opportunity to combine all his skills and share his album “Tired of 23.” 

“This allowed me to go more in-depth with the artworks than I have in previous music releases and also offered an opportunity to share my music with everyone at MGA. Songwriting is my primary form of expression and I feel that a lot of my peers, and even the professors and faculty have known me for my visual arts and haven’t experienced my songwriting,” said Griffith. 

Griffith said the exhibition will have six artworks, six songs and six lyric posters which will all come together to explore his themes. The six songs from the project are: “Running in Place,” “Sleep on It,” Between Your Eyes,” “Hey, Future Me,” “The Silence” and “Better Days.” All of his songs were inspired by the experiences he faced in his early 20s.  

“These are songs that I wrote between my 23rd and 24th birthday. They aren’t all of the songs that I wrote during that time, but they sort of serve as a snapshot of a particular year of my life. The inspiration for the songs varied, but a lot of the record focuses on just feeling unsure and stuck in the same place. “Running in Place,” the lead single from the record, was really inspired by that feeling of working really hard but feeling like you’re stuck in the same place,” said Griffith. “The intimate song, “Hey, Future Me” was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend about how we use voice memos very differently. When writing songs I will record the rough ideas into my voice memos app, almost like a sketchbook for songs. This friend, however, would record messages to their future selves, and I thought that was a kind of endearing perspective to write a song from.”  

He also shared his record has a lot of different sounds and each song fits a different genre. He said he took inspiration from artists like Billy Joel, Jack Johnson, Vance Joy and The Lumineers. 

Griffith said his show will be different from previous art exhibitions because it is not just one medium. The exhibition will also be interactive, and Griffith shares each poster has a QR code that allows the viewer to listen his song, add it to their music library and read on the behind-the-scenes of each song and their artwork. 

The musician is encouraging everyone to attend his show and experience something different at the university. 

“I think anyone who has an interest in art, music, or is just tired of the grind should come out and see the show! The band that I’ve assembled for the concert on Friday is full of world class musicians that really help to take the songs to the next level. I am really proud of the record, but I feel like these live arrangements of the songs are an experience all their own. I will also be playing some songs that didn’t make it on the record, these songs are honestly some of my favorites, so you won’t want to miss a chance of hearing those. The best part is, it’s free,” said Griffith. 

The show is open to the public and Griffith is hoping for a fun atmosphere which will bring people together and give them a fun night to relax, enjoy his art and live music and make a friend or two. 

“I hope that this show will inspire people to just create and express themselves, even if it’s in the privacy of their own room. Sharing songs is a very vulnerable position to put yourself in. You are essentially opening up your journal and letting the world peer into your heart. This show I will be opening up a lot, and I hope that gives people the courage to start writing down those thoughts and feelings, and if they feel compelled to, share them,” said Griffith. “I love sharing my stories through music and art, but sometimes I keep those stories to myself or a small group of individuals. I think as a culture, we have a pressure to share everything and sometimes there’s a beauty in withholding somethings.”  

Make sure to stream his album “Tired of 23” which is available on all streaming platforms. For more information on his release party click here.