As we journey through the mind of this creative, Kat’s process distinctively stands out in how committed they were to bringing these ideas to life and the impact this piece had on their understanding of peace of mind. Their process and background as a visual artist and filmmaker informed how they brought everything together, but also was interestingly achieved with help from the philosophical teachings of Taoism as well as from personal challenges.

The play and unbridled creativity present in this music video is evident in equal amounts, with the video tracing the protagonist as they traverse bushland alternating between a sprint and a stroll. That was reflected in the making of the video as well, as the art direction from Kat included intricate hand-cut and drawn animation of stars and layers of the artist throughout the course of the music video. Something that was unintentional though was the use of red in the making of the video, which one may surmise as a literal reflection of life (blood) or of shadows of uncertainty in following your own path. As Kat explains, this was a happy accident but became something thematically inc(red)ible (pardon the pun):

“I don’t want to say that the red was a happy accident…buuuuuut, that’s why I love the animation process. I originally printed half the clips in normal colour and the other half in black & white. But it wasn’t flowing right. I found I was gravitating towards the black & white clips because adding bright markers, paints & pastels on top really popped. I didn’t want to waste the coloured clips, so in premiere pro I desaturated most of the coloured clips but colour dropped to keep all the red. One of my main ideas for this MV was having the protagonist chasing their “path”. In Taoism, everything revolves around the Tao. (Translated directly Tao means “path” or “way”.) To Taoists, the Tao is thought of as an eternal element that is the life force of the universe, transcending time and space. So the colour red accidentally or naturally became the physical representation of the spiritual Tao. Once that clicked for me the rest of the music all fell into place. I actually shot the scenes of the protagonist running through the forest (my personal favourite clips) months after the original shoot. I had this vision of the protagonist charging towards, being absorbed, being both apart and completely surrounded by the red – the “tao” of the universe”.

The song’s composition also strikes a delicate balance between introspection and awe, with the chorus instructing listeners to “find yourself in the silence, see a way behind blindness” echoing spiritually and reverberating melodically. Appreciation for the natural world and experiences that resonate abound, particularly in the lyrics of self care and to “treat the world with some kindness”. The lyrics in the verses were actually partially inspired by the words of Laozi in his classic text Tao Te Ching. This also reflects in the instrumental choices of traditional Chinese violins which coupled with the music video’s situating in nature seems to indicate a deep recognition of our country’s rich cultural tapestry.

“This song was a dream to make a video for! I always love when songs end in a different place then where they start, it’s so much easier to conceptualise a MV because you already see a beginning, middle and end. When the Erhu (Chinese Violin) came in full force at the end I knew right then and there I wanted to make an experimental piece to tie this song all together. Because of how connected the world is now, we’re not only seeing the best work of Australian artists but of the world. That’s a bit scary, but I’ve found it’s important to absorb from those artists instead of feeling inadequate. Don’t completely cut off from the people creating around you but use them as a tool, like any other creative book or lesson. For example, mixed media animation is very popular at the moment, I was afraid to just be another drop in that ocean. but I realised that I wanted to make this for myself and for Stubai. To create something I’d be proud of, that’s a collaboration between two artists”.

With a lone dog as a companion, the protagonist reaches a point of resolve and understanding of their place in the bigger picture. Dipping briefly into a riverbed, and spanning epic pastoral landscapes of sweeping plains and mountainous trees, the filmmakers beckon to something much greater in scope than themselves. Where and what that place resides and resembles is left up to interpretation (and would be different for everyone), but no question is left about how to achieve that: through steadfast determination and unwavering belief in the bettering of our material conditions.

“There is no end point, no higher hill to “complete the journey” –  is what the protagonist and hopefully the audience feels by the end. There’s no point in trying to chase after something you will never reach, as you’re exactly where you need to be. The protagonist is already on their path – they just have to keep moving forward, one step at a time. I spent several days filming my friend in national parks as we hiked. We filmed in Colomatta on the land of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples; in Kulnura on the land of the Darkinjung people; and in Kunama Namadji on the land of the Ngarigo and Walgal peoples”.

Whichever way you decide to go about your day, be sure to include watching ‘Another Way’ in that roster. The song is taken from Stubai‘s debut album ‘We Were Here’, released late last year and is a curiously contemplative highlight from a delightfully developed cycle of songs. This musical development also includes ‘Were We Here?’, a just-released companion piece album comprised of instrumentals from his debut.

Here is the official video for “Another Way“

Music Video Credits

Director, VFX, Art direction: Kat Silverosa. Gimbal operator: Archie Whiting. Filmed in Colomatta on the land of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples; in Kulnura on the land of the Darkinjung people; and in Kunama Namadji on the land of the Ngarigo and Walgal peoples.