Training Your Creative Team | Reimagining Worship | Special Guest: Rickey Solomon

In this season of Re-Imagining Worship, we’re bringing in fresh voices to strengthen and inspire the creative team. Each episode will feature insightful conversations with guest leaders, musicians, and creatives who share practical wisdom to elevate worship experiences. Whether you’re part of a worship team or leading one, this season is all about equipping your team with new ideas and collaborative energy to create more impactful moments in worship.

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Transcript

What's going on y'all? Listen, welcome once again to the reimagined worship podcast. Listen, it's been, it's a reboot. It's a new season. It's a new day. Fresh anointing  is play. Hey, you know, but, um, uh, Hey, shameless plug. Uh, it's been a little quiet on the podcast for a little bit because Um, I've been, me and my wife have been building.

So, uh, we're sitting right here in Resonate, resonatebaltimore. com at Resonate Baltimore on social media. But it's a creative hub, music school, all the podcast studio, all that kind of good stuff. So that's where my life has been recently, but we're back and I'm super excited that we're back. Because I have a great, great, great friend of mine.

Um, one of, one of my heroes, he don't know, he don't know he's a hero, but I look him in it. I look at him as a hero. So, um, Ricky Solomon from Solomon's word, man, hand clap  emoji all over the place. But I appreciate you being here, man. Um, just give it, just, just, just, just give, give a 10 second bio, bro. Yeah. I didn't even know, I didn't even know he the real deal. 

He's the dude that's behind a lot of the camera stuff that you don't even be seeing. A lot of the stuff that you didn't see. I, boy, I can smell the beans, but I'm a, I'm a hold my meal, man. Give it to him. Yeah. So 10, 10 second bio. Um, I am a playwright. I'm a director, a producer. I am, uh, I also serve as one of the production pastors at union church.

Yeah, yeah, man. And um, there's, there's some big news coming up this month towards the end of this month of September. There is. Um, you want to share a little bit about that just real quick? Just shameless plug, man. This is a shameless plug. Listen, listen. I have a stage play, The Anatomy of Love, that is opening up at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, uh, September 20th through the 23rd, man.

We're super excited. Uh, this is a really, really dope stage play that we've been able to bring back for the, it's the third year. That's what's up, man. That's what's up. Congrats on that one. That's huge. Um, so part of one of the things that I, that, that Rick and I were talking about was really  seated around, um, the creative team that we utilize on Sunday mornings.

Um, the, there's a lot of development that happens. I'm like, I'll say even for me, like during COVID, there was a lot of skills I had to learn, um, that I ended up being able to train a team on that. And essentially they were able to kind of take those same things. take them outside the church, start businesses with them, be employed by other places.

Like, have you seen, how have you seen some of those crosses, um, even from church to play to like, like, how does that work kind of in your life? I think the pandemic and COVID kind of shifted a lot, uh, especially in the church space where there's a lot of people that were never in the church space. Uh, that was looking for jobs, opportunities that, you know, found them in the church space and then vice, vice versa.

Um, I think obviously, you know, the obvious one is live streaming, you know, took a whole new level coming out of the pandemic, uh, where there was a lot of people that were, that were self taught, you know, self learning, they had to teach how to do that. Um, but I've now, you know, I think part of the reason that the podcast world is booming now is because.

Everyone had to learn how to, you know, set up a camera, sync your audio, you know, do all those things now. Um, so I think for me, one of the biggest things is, you know, when it comes down to recording, uh, videographers, like that world is so, it's gotten so much enlarged now because people had to learn the craft.

People had to, to learn how to do it. Uh, and to your point, it has opened up some amazing opportunities, you know, for people to monetize that outside of the church space.  I'll be honest with you.  I bought my first like professional grade camera in 2021.  And I have a production company now, the video production company. 

I've had so many conversations with people that have,  uh, you know, in the videographer space world, um, audio engineering world, because like they had to, and now like, you know, they're gigging and they're getting opportunities, you know, outside of the, the, uh, church realm. So it's definitely, it's definitely key.

And then there's, especially in the lighting world, there's a lot of LDS now, um, that were not in the church space that now are  because of the whole pandemic and finding. Give a little bit more of a kind of context around, around some of that, like.  Give some more specific details and so we can kind of kind of get a little bit more as far as like lighting or yeah Lighting and audio audio.

Yeah, so I think Really what it did was it shifted everything starts  Bishop, John Maxwell says everything rises and falls with leaderships. I think leadership in the church world now have a sense of value and appreciation for lighting in the church space and a value and appreciation for it You know, having a quality, a quality live stream.

And you know, the, like, I think excellence has now become the standard.  So it's like having an excellent, having excellence isn't a special thing anymore. Like that's now the standard. So if you're live scene, if your live stream audio sounds like trash, that's the equivalent of walking into someone's house with a dirty bathroom.

Yeah. He's, I mean, like, you never really notice going into someone's house and their bathroom is clean. Cause you expect it to be, to be clean, but you notice if it's dirty, right? It's the same thing. You never notice,  you know, now, like having clean online audio isn't noticeable, but it's noticeable when it's bad.

Cause you expect, I mean, so I think even in that, in that space, um,  pastors weren't open to like, you know, having lighting and moving fixtures and haze in the auditorium. And now it's like,  Like that's a thing. Um, so now you want it and there's a need for it, but you don't have the people trained up and skilled to do it.

So now you're pulling in, you know, uh, LDS that are, there were once working secular concerts where, you know, that space isn't as lucrative as you know, what, as what it once was. And now they're looking for opportunities and now they're coming into the church space. I think one of the biggest testimony stories we've ever had is like, we've, uh, at union, we've had, you know,  Lighting contractors, audio, audio engineers came in literally because there was a need.

And now, like, you know, to see them begging and baptizing and learning their faith and doing all those things. So it's kind of both, you know, there's something we can take from the secular world  and that marketplace that, a skill set that's needed in the church. And then there's something in the church that those cats need too.

Yeah. Yeah. Uh, how do you kind of continue to foster an environment of like, of learning, of growth? Um, yeah. All that kind of good stuff. Um, I think that for me, like I'm always learning. I, I'm always growing, I'm always seeking opportunities to learn and grow. Um, but I think it's, I'm, I'm just affirming proponent that you have to always be an aggressive learner.

You never stop learning. Um, I get amazed when I come across people that are like, oh, yeah, I, I got that. What? I've been doing it. I've given my life to this and I don't have it all. So I think how do you, how do you foster that is, um, it starts with you, like if you have a leader that's always hungry, um, you know, you kind of have to, uh, that'll, that'll trickle down.

And then secondly, just exposure. I think, you know, when you get in some spaces, it's like, it's like being a musician. You can think you have it and then you go somewhere and hear someone else play and you're like, you know, I just want to start over. I just want to get it. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I thought.

So, it's the same thing, you know, in the production space, like, I  have to go to New York at least twice a year to go see a production, I have to go see a concert, just to keep me, just to know, like, there's levels to this, cause otherwise, you'll win in your backyard, and you'll think, like, that's it.  Like you can't just win in your backyard.

You gotta know like, nah, like there's some cats out there that's doing it 10 times better. Um, and that's what keeps you hungry. That's what keeps me hungry when I can see like there's more. Yeah. It's just, it's funny, man. I remember, uh, I was much younger. Um, Maybe like fifth, sixth grade. Yeah. In the summertime when I was at my grandparents house and my next door neighbor had a little rinky dink basketball court.

They were like 18, 19 and I'm watching them play ball. And hear me when I tell you, they was trash. Like they was like, I'm now mind you, my expertise. In basketball at that time was like what I see online, what I see on TV, NBA, whatever the case may be. Like, that's my expectation. And I'm looking at these dudes like, yo, y'all are really bad.

So I remember one day I went out there, uh, one of the guys out there, one of the brothers was out there and I went out there  and we played around a little bit. Yo, he beat me like 10 or 11, 11 to zero. Like it was, it was, it was really bad. And I was like, yo, my expectation for what, I mean, from what I've seen was one thing.

But when I actually, like, to your point, went in the backyard to go play with them, I realized, like, oh, there's levels. They might not be NBA great, but they're much greater than I am. And then, but it also allows a space to be able to say, hey, listen, I need to continue to raise my standards.  of excellence to your point, raise my ceiling of learning, raise my, cause it doesn't matter where you walk, man.

Oh man. I love to watch like old footage of Michael, of Michael Jackson, um, in a rehearsal and things like that. And just how meticulous and like just it was So little things like that just kind of continue just to show you like it doesn't matter how where your little standard of excellence is There's still more room for growth.

There's still more space. Um it's a scary thought because especially in the audio and engineering world like There's so much and then I got to the point Where I was like, all right, cool. I got everything situated and then me and you sat down with some stuff and I was like, right. I don't,  I don't know if I have the time and energy you to let we, we would sit with the lights and he was like, yeah, so we got a company that's going to come in and going to organize the courts behind the stage.

Like there's a company that organizes courts behind  led screens. So either way it was, it's wild, man. Um, so how has that impacted what you're doing outside? How does, how has inside impacted what you're doing outside? Um, and a deeper question in some regard, like  how can the two work together and not clash against each other?

Yeah. Um,  that's my life every day right now. Uh, you know, working in  the church space and then having my theater company, which there's a lot more overlap than people think. There's a lot more overlap, uh, you know, than people give, um,  Credit credit to, but I think to your point, you know, you spoke about the level of, of, of excellence.

So I think the overlap honestly, um, of how they kind of lend hand in hand is that  I've always, you know, in the theater space, I've always demanded excellence there. Uh, when I say excellence, I mean, clean audio, like you're not going to come to a songbird show and hear like, Mike's popping and Mike's falling off.

Like, but, but so now to take that,  And to, you're not going to come to a Psalms word show and to, and it doesn't start on time. Like, so when I say excellence, it's like, it's like every space. So now to bring that level of excellence into, you know, the, the, uh, church space. I'll never forget when I first came on, um, at Union, it was Destiny Church then.

And, uh, there was a musician that came in, uh, To not sound check on a Sunday, not send them a service, but a rehearsal 10 minutes late and the, uh, worship pastor, uh, literally like stop the whole room and was like, why are you late? And it, for me, it set a standard. And I think from one of the big things that frustrate me is that we'll have a level of excellence and a standard in every other space.

We have it at work. We have it everywhere. And then we get into God's house and we leave it at the door.  And it's like, Oh, cause it's church. It's no like, no, like, and I told you, like,  it's not that you don't have it. It's that like, you don't apply it, you apply it in certain rooms and it applies in every space.

That's so good. So when you, so when you take that, I think that literally that's the biggest thing that people always like to throw around the word excellence and such like a broad term, but it's like, no, like you don't show up to work late. You know, so why would you come in and expect like, oh man, like, I think we give too much credence.

Whoo. I'm about to mess my mind with this one. We give too much credence to the anointing. We're like, oh, it's gonna be anointed but What space did you create for it to come in? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, like You didn't create space what with sound check that that morning, or we can just skip it. No, no, no, no, we're gonna make sure everything is right.

So when I get any feedback, you know, when I getting, you know, any, any EQ or frequency issues. So that way, there's no, there's no distractions. And now there's a palette. Yeah, for the whole spirit to come in on. Yeah, no, we're gonna make sure that every light cue is right. Yeah, to make sure that there is like, we we are creating everything  environment for it to come  far too far far far far too often and I hate to say it, but you know More often than not in the black church.

It's a man, but we got power and the anointing is gonna come  Why would why would God when I put his anointing in mess? You see what I mean? And chaos.  Man,  there's a stance. It's fun, man. I, uh, had an interesting convo with my father, um,  a few years back and he would, he would also, he would always like  get on me about what I wore to church. 

And, um, I, now I'm old. I understand it a little bit more, but like  he was like, yo, like, no, I want to.  He wears a suit and tie. He's not going to be in church without a suit and tie on. Now,  whatever. I'm probably not going to have a tie on ever in church. But  for him, it's a mindset thing. He recognizes that everything that he's going to do On a sunday it's gonna be it's gonna put him in the space in the mindset of like, you know Like i'm walking in on holy ground.

Like i'm i'm intentionally posturing myself to reverence To the holy spirit. Yeah  When I he's he's not sleeping in on sundays. Yep. Um, he's not eating a heavy breakfast on sunday now some of these are extreme but I i'm using them as extreme examples because there there is Intentional things that he does on sundays to make sure that he is You Emotionally, spiritually and physically prepared to walk into God's house, um, to be the first one there and to be the last one to leave.

Um, man, just,  let's take that to you. So that's spiritualized side. Let's take it to a natural level, right? How does both worlds overlap? All right, let's get to on the technical side. You go to,  if you go to any Broadway show,  Any musical, you know, they start singing. You probably don't notice it because it's done so cleanly that like the lights you see tell a story. 

That same thing applies when you come into worship. Mmm. That, you know, you take any Maverick City, you know, whatever you're singing, Kirk Franklin's song that, you know, your worship team is singing, that's Sunday morning. Your lights, you know, should be telling a story. So the overlap of what you can take  from outside in one space like that for, for, for, for me, when I got in college, um, I'm minding in theater production and I was heavily focused in lighting. 

So for me, like that's one of my biggest gifts that I can go in, listen to any worship song and literally that lights, they're going to tell a story. They're going to go with it. And it's going to, it's going to feel like, okay. It's a part of it, you know, the way we, we build from the beginning to the courts at bridge and all.

I got that from theater.  I got that from, you know, like you come to, you know, see the anatomy of love, you know, for every song that, that you hear, like, it's going to take you there. Yeah. The lighting sets the mood for that. And as a song builds, your lighting is going to build and the color and temperature is going, is going to build.

I stole that from theater. And now you come into church and someone that's never experienced God before, they're sitting there worshiping  and it's, it's, it's in tandem. It's, you know, it is band. It is the worship. It is the spirit of God. But now like, Oh man, like my God is like down because the lights just came down.

You know, now this is. You know, this amber red that just, you know, came down and, and as the song builds, it gets brighter. I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's kind of like, you know, there's a, there, there is a natural, like technical aspect to it. That's like, you don't even realize this happening subconsciously that when it's done well, man, like it really, it can really enhance the experience and help someone. 

So not only  can we take the gifts that we, that we have and the skills that we learned in the church to use them to monetize in secular spaces, but we can take what we've learned in secular spaces to  come impact the overall experience in the actual church. One of the biggest things and cause I knew I was coming here, I had to do something.

What are the things that I love that I brushed up on is that  After the temple was built, right?  And every pastor loves this, loves this story. Cause the temple was built, the first service they had in it, right? It said that the spirit of God was so heavy.  That they couldn't even stand up to preach or stand up to minister.

It was so heavy on the first time.  When you go back and read one of the things that theologians will, they highlight and tell you that when you go into the structure of how the tabernacle was built, the tabernacle was built with, like every wall had narrow windows and in the narrow windows, they use a different color glass in each window.

So when the sun shined through, And mind you all the walls had like a whole bunch of narrow windows. So when the sun shined through Right, it it literally gave the effect of lighting and these were like master architects Where like they were blending colors, which is glass  So like lighting in church isn't new.

This isn't anything new. Okay Now  mind you that's good as that light and everything is coming in  They get ready to go in and they're ushering in and they've got their tambourine they're dancing Is And rejoicing. And for the first time in the Bible, we see where the spirit hit that, hit that temple so heavy. 

They couldn't even minister. Like, they couldn't do anything. Like, it was like, we just burst in like, I can't even stand up to speak because God is here. Yeah. Yeah.  You can tell me that there was nothing that it was jet, like the, the environment was set for it.  Man, don't get me started. I love this. This is my That's good, doc.

That's good,  man. Listen, before we transition out, man, like any, um, I said I wanted to kind of make these brief, but like, we can, we can talk forever, man. Like, give a, if you can give just kind of an overview, um, of what's happening with the play. Yeah. Um, kind of what you're looking forward to. Thank you. I'm, I'm so excited for this because I think, um, what I love about doing theater is that people that would never come to church, people that are never sitting here to preach, they'll go to a concert or they'll come see a stage play.

So I love this show because anybody can come see it, whether you're 99 or 19. Um, it is, sorry, real quick, I'm sorry, language is important. I don't, I keep calling it plays, stage play, theater production, my man, listen, he's letting me know real, real, real calm, like, yeah, listen, don't downplay my stuff now. I'm not, I'm not.

I was there last year. It was great, but good. I love it, man. Listen, it's, it's a phenomenal story about relationships, whether you're single, married, divorced, listen, you're going to come to the show. You're going to laugh. You're going to get something from it. It's going to leave you walk away having, um,  in depth conversations about where you are in life.

And I love that, man. I love the reactions, you know, as people, as they leave the theater, I get the opportunity to sign playbills and hug people's necks and hear their stories of how, like, this stage play has literally changed their lives. So. I love it. Super excited about it. I promise you, man. This will be a stage with unlike anything you've ever experienced.

The music's great. Some phenomenal singing in this thing. Hey, listen. Phenomenal singing in this joint. I done seen some stories, dawg.  Like, who is that? Listen, come to the show. You're going to hear probably the best thing you've ever heard. We have a killer band, killer stage set.  Um, I'm, I'm excited. Listen, come see the stage play.

You will not regret it. Visit Ricky Solomon. com. Go get your tickets now. Yeah. So that's a good question. Tickets, tickets, tickets. Yes. Please go to Ricky Solomon. com. Um, you can visit the link there. The show's at Bowie Center for the Arts. So if you decide to go to their website, we are right on the front, um, of the website as well.

So I'm super excited, man. This show is going to be our biggest one.  That's amazing, man. That's amazing. Ricky, thank you so much for being here, bro. It's an honor. We have another episode coming next week. There's another one dropping, um, that's talking around the same stuff. So stick around, subscribe, like, share, reimagine the worship podcast until next time.