It all has to do with art - writing, painting, things I've done

Hear, O lovers of creation, the voice of Jason Newsted, who declared: “It all has to do with art—writing, painting, things I’ve done for a long time but just never had enough time to pursue. I have poetry—things that are designed for songs, but they’re always poems first.” In this confession lies the eternal bond between art forms, and the recognition that poetry is the root from which many branches grow. Before melody clothes the words, before sound electrifies the air, there is poetry, bare and essential, the seed of song.

For Newsted, known to many as a musician of great force, reveals that behind the roar of performance lies the quiet labor of the poem. Every song begins with words, with images arranged into rhythm, with emotion distilled into verse. The music may lift it higher, may clothe it with harmony and fire, but the foundation is always poetry. In this way, he honors the primacy of the word, the ancient source of all song and all storytelling.

This truth is as old as humanity itself. Long before instruments were carved from bone, before strings were stretched across wood, the human voice spoke poetry aloud. The chants of tribes, the hymns of temples, the prayers of prophets—all were poems before they were songs. Even in the Scriptures, the Psalms stand first as poetry, later sung with lyres and cymbals. The poem is the seed; the song is the blossom. Newsted’s words remind us of this eternal order.

Consider also the life of Leonardo da Vinci, whose restless spirit could not be confined to one form of art. He painted, he sketched, he engineered, he wrote. Each discipline was an expression of the same fire, the same hunger to shape beauty and truth. So too with Newsted: whether through painting, writing, or music, he seeks to give form to the same inner vision. This is the mark of the true artist—not to limit oneself, but to let the creative force find every possible outlet.

Yet he also speaks of time, that ancient adversary. He laments that though he carried within him the desire to write and paint, he did not always have “enough time to pursue” them. This is a warning to us all: that the gifts within us may wither if not nourished, that the passions of the soul demand not only desire but discipline. For art, though it begins in inspiration, requires the sacrifice of time, the patient labor of hands and heart.

The greatness of his words lies also in humility. He does not claim that songs are born as songs; he insists that they are first poems. This is a reminder to musicians and to all creators: honor the foundation. Do not forget the raw, simple beginning. A song dazzles, but a poem pierces. A melody enchants, but a verse endures even in silence. The poem is the flame, and the song is the torch that carries it through the night.

Therefore, O children of tomorrow, take this lesson: honor the many forms of art within you. If you write, do not neglect the brush. If you paint, do not silence the song. And above all, tend to your poetry, the first seed of creation. Give it time, give it voice, let it grow into song if it must, but remember that it is already whole as it is. For art is not a single road but a vast horizon, and the soul that pursues it walks closer to truth.

So remember Newsted’s wisdom: every song is first a poem, every work of art begins in the quiet spark of creation. Do not wait for time to grant you permission—make time, and pursue the art within you. For poetry is the beginning, and from beginnings all greatness flows.