Ty Dolla $ign Pens Essay on Gerhard Richter Painting for Art Book

Last year, Rizzoli put out Feelings: Soft Art, an art book that’s “focused on material qualities and the feelings evoked by a work”. As The Fader points out, Ty Dolla $ign penned an essay for the book inspired by Gerhard Richter’s 1970 painting “Cloud.” Titled “on All the Soft Good Things”, the composition connects the concept of softness with Ty’s work as a musician and producer. Read it below.

on All the Soft Good Things

The softest thing I’ve ever heard are the wind chimes in my backyard. They are soft and cool and mellow.

As a producer, when I’m trying to make something soft, I start with a slow tempo. Then after that, it would be straight to acoustic guitar and vocals, or I’m going to go strings and just piano. Something real chill without the drums. Piano feels soft. Violins and all different string instruments feel soft. Guitar, even electric guitar before you start adding distortion, that you can play soft. Even drums — anything as long as you touch it softly. As a singer, it’s just that you have to approach it really nonaggressively. Like a slow build.

I used to go to the Church of the Harvest, right off Adams and La Brea. There was a pastor there who had the best big choir and the best band. He would start praying and the music would start playing and just make people feel so good, you
could break out of whatever you were going through. Soft music can have that effect, too. When I look up in the sky and I look at clouds, they look soft to me. I always wish I could just touch one. But I guess when the fog comes down, you are touching one.

“on All the Soft Good Things” isn’t Ty’s only contribution to Feelings: Soft Art. The book also contains a photo of a jail cell titled “Ty Dolla $ign on Free TC,” which is accompanieded by a description from the artist. Here’s an excerpt:

In my new album I’m going to show people out there how it looks, how it feels…through the music, through the interludes, and through the visuals; I’m going to let people understand how it feels and especially how it is for a person who gets caught in a situation and doesn’t deserve it.

In addition to Ty Dolla $ign, Feelings: Soft Art features contributions from Dev Hynes, Petra Collins, Tracey Emin, John Baldessari, Hood By Air designer Shayne Oliver, and YouTube star Jenna Marbles, among others.

Concidentally, clouds feature heavily in Ty’s video for the Free TC single “Saved.” Watch that clip below.

Read our “5-10-15-20” interview with Ty Dolla $ign.