Garrett Lee – The Art of Storytelling
It is clear, almost from the first syllable spoken, that Garret Lee is a storyteller. He communicates with such clarity and self-awareness, and a deep sense of serenity and humility seems to radiate from him.
Lee infuses his art – whether it be music, photography, or videography – with these qualities. He describes his artistic career as a journey. “I started out playing music at age 11,” he says. “I immediately picked up a guitar and fell in love with it. I took lessons for a couple of years and then started learning everything on my own. I started songwriting around 13 or 14, and realized that’s what I [wanted] to do for the rest of my life.”
Having started his musical career in the contemporary Christian arena, Lee opened for acts including Big Daddy Weave, Tenth Ave. North, and more. Over time, “I started to have more opportunities to cross over and find myself more as a songwriter,” he explains. “I started writing more in the Americana, soft country rock genre, which at the end of the day is just storytelling.”
Lee wasted no time from those first sparks of teenaged inspiration.
“I released my first CD at age 15, which I like to keep well hidden,” he laughs. “I’ve released projects every few years since then, and I’ve had pretty incredible opportunities and met some pretty cool people. I’d say music is my first love.”
Having opened up for renowned artists including Dave Barnes, Emmy Lou Harris, and Rayland Baxter, he nevertheless says, “I don’t do it for recognition or to prove myself, I do it because I have to. I do it to be happy.”
Lee sees music as a gift, both given and received. “One of my favorite things is to connect with people through music and words. Another one of my favorite things in the world is to gift someone a song that was inspired by them or their story.”
“My best songs, I hear in my head as if it’s already an existing song. It comes real fast, in a night. It’s almost an out of body experience, as crazy as that sounds. I think most artists would describe that zone, that mode, where they literally can’t see anything around them but the things they’re focused on. Those are some of my favorite times, when you just look up and you’ve written something.”
This phenomenon, so familiar yet so otherworldly, is one Lee believes to be of divine inspiration. “I’m of Christian faith, and have personal relationships with God. I believe it is all a gift – of melody and inspiration. The most powerful way we communicate is through story, and I think it’s one of the greatest gifts we can have as a human race.”
“I think music is the most valuable medicine we have,” he continues. “In our good times and our horrible times – the deepest of lows – it just soothes our soul to write about it and sing about it, and to continue sharing those songs down the road. Even when you’re not in that season any more, you can connect with someone who may be going through something similar.”
It is this exchange – of ideas and emotion and inspiration – that makes Lee’s art so powerful. “The countless times I’ve had conversations with people after a show or those precious moments when I’ve gifted songs to loved ones – you can’t bottle that up. It’s so magical. ‘The Man That I Am’ is a song I wrote for my stepfather, and it means everything to me.”
Lee is, to his core, an artist, not to be defined by one medium or form of expression. “A big part of my life in the last little over a decade has been my service at the Fort Church,” he explains. “I served for 11 and a half years as the music minister. I led the worship band and did everything else too, whether it be graphic arts or video or photos or working on the website.”
His evolution as a photographer and videographer started at age 16. “I remember asking for a nice camera when I graduated from high school. I joined the church staff when I was 21, and the video needs came up, so I started learning about video on my own. I’ve honed all those skills for 11 and a half years, and last November is when I stepped down vocationally from the church to start my own business.”
Lee Sight & Sound Co. – the fruit of his artistic labors – has given him the opportunity to explore many types of photography and videography. “Mainly I love portrait work and commercial work – I like working one on one with someone the best,” he says. “That can be all types of portraits – family, artists, album covers, real estate stuff. My favorite thing to do as far as video is music videos. I love telling stories through video too, one of my main services being video strategy for small businesses. I just completed a documentary celebrating 15 years of Voices of the Valley, and I love shooting guitar demos for Silvan Guitars when Frank makes a new creation.”
To learn more about Lee’s creative projects and upcoming work, or to book him for your next photo or video shoot, you can find him on Instagram and Facebook (@garretleemusic), and on his website at leesightsound.com. Though his latest discography isn’t available online, he’s released three full albums and some smaller EPs. His most recent project, From The Ground Up, was released in 2021 and can be found wherever you listen to music.
By Sarah Algoe