I remember a day in my job as the Artist Residency Coordinator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis during a week when we were hosting Yoko Ono for a week long residency and exhibition opening. Her daughter came, and I was charged with taking care of her for the 4 day stay.   In those 4 days, we had several long processing conversations. Kyoko had not seen her mom for a long time- it was a very emotional visit for her. I was going through a tough time searching for my identity as an artist who kept expanding my horizons beyond music, but not clear on a singular vision. She shared memories of her childhood growing up with her mom and John, and I shared  how my music/artistic life had started to clear as a drummer, but had reached to unknown places into multidisciplinary performance art making, creating drum groups for kids in schools and community centers, acting, and collaborating in the creation of theater and dance works.  I shared how I felt like I keep stretching myself farther  from my original dream to be a world class drummer, and wondered what had happened to my dream as I spent so much time emerging myself in worlds I didn’t know much about. Kyoko said of growing up around John. “He was fascinated by other artistic mediums and was inspired by my moms explorations into artist worlds beyond what he had imagined in his own work.  John would undoubtedly advise you to be ok with it, and see where it takes you". I never forgot that conversation, and hope  someday

I can tell Kyoko where I have landed all these years later.

Aaron Barnell