Prolific musician and actor Vic Mignogna is out with a new album, ”Up There Down Here.” Inspired by two important relationships in his life — with his wife and with God — “Up Here Down There” is a simple yet timeless work straight from Mignogna’s heart.

It’s a deeply personal work that no one else could have produced. But it’s also an example of the amazing things that can happen when we quiet our doubts, drown out the noise and listen to our inner voice. It’s a possible model, in other words, for anyone else’s creative endeavors — including yours.

Mignogna has been making music, voicing characters, and appearing on screen for decades. If your own creative journey isn’t quite so advanced, there’s a lot you can learn from someone who has been in the business for so long and has earned considerable respect and admiration in the process.

Here are Four Lessons to Draw from Vic Mignogna’s “Up There Down Here”:

1. You Can Find Inspiration in the Everyday

Mignogna has said publicly that one important inspiration for his latest album was the experience of falling in love with his wife, whom he recently married. Many of the album’s 16 tracks refer to this love directly or indirectly. 

New love is beautiful, of course, but it’s also something that occurs every day in countless permutations. It’s beautifully ordinary, which is what makes it so inspiring.

2. Faith Is Foundational

Vic Mignogna is outspoken about his faith. His relationship with God is fundamental to his identity and was a crucial inspiration for “Up There Down Here,” he has said. The album’s title, he points out, contains a reference to heaven.

Your personal faith journey might be different, perhaps very different, from Mignogna’s. Yet, however you express your personal faith, it’s important to recognize its impact on your identity. That impact makes your faith a rich source of creative inspiration — if you allow it to be. 

3. Simplicity Works

“Up There Down Here” does not come off as a slick, big-budget production that took dozens of people to make possible. That’s because it’s not. For the most part, it’s the work of one talented vocalist and his piano.

This simplicity is what makes the album so compelling. Mignogna himself has admitted to some surprise over his fans’ enthusiastic reactions to what he felt were well-composed yet straightforward songs. That’s a reminder that you don’t always know how others will react to your work.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Evolve

Vic Mignogna’s newest album speaks to who he is today, not who he was five and certainly not fifteen years ago. Whenever it comes, his next album will show yet another side of him. Because, like most successful artists, Mignogna appears unafraid to evolve his craft. It might feel comforting to fall back on your “greatest hits” when you’re unsure which direction to turn, but it’s worth considering whether the safe approach will lead to greatness.

Find Your Creative Passion

Vic Mignogna’s “Up There Down Here” is yet one more stop on a multi-talented artist’s long and prolific journey. No doubt, we’ll be talking about Mignogna’s next endeavor before long. 

Mignogna, of course, is a unique individual, just like every other artist, past and present. Just like you. Yet just about anyone can draw inspiration from “Up There Down Here” and take lessons from the creative process that led to its production. Whether you’re an aspiring artist preparing to release your first work into the world or a seasoned creative ready to take the next step in an already-productive career, let it be one more source of inspiration in a beautiful, ever-changing world.

Published by: Holy Minoza