From calligraphy to commercial graphic design with a specialty of artwork with Jewish texts and themes — and, to a lesser degree, songwriting — I have been creating in various media for quite a while. As a rabbi (serving Shirat Hayam in Ventnor, New Jersey, since 2014), my main artistic medium is words: sermons, articles, prayers, teachings. I dabbled in songwriting — and crafting melodies for liturgy — over the years, and then, coinciding with (or perhaps because of) the pandemic and lockdown, ideas and tunes flowed!

As an artist, I try to be a storyteller. In calligraphic artwork, can I illuminate a text with lettering alone or with a graphic? In commercial graphic design, what does a logo, brochure, etc., tell of the organization or company? In religion, how can my sermon or teaching deepen understanding of or connection to Jewish life and text? In music, how do I meld lyric and melody to convey a story or feeling?

Starting with about a dozen songs, I worked with Kit Worton (https://righttouchstudios.com) for about two years on recording, and new songs kept coming. As we neared the finish line with 37 songs or melodies (!), I declared that I was done for now. Then, not long after that pronouncement, I was playing the grandkids to bed one night, and something they said sparked another song; it’ll be in the next round of releases! Then another song idea sparked…. And that’s how it goes.

 

Bio page/header photo: Steven Altman