Image description: A man’s silhouette is seen on a stage, with only his figure seen due to a bright white light shining on him. The man seems to be holding a guitar, and beside him are words that say, ‘James Ian’, ‘Spaces’.
“I just started thinking about the spaces people with disabilities take up even though the world thinks we can’t,” says musician James Ian.
That was the inspiration behind his newest single, appropriately named Spaces.
Ian’s soulful voice blankets the pop-ballad with a message disabled youth have often been prevented from hearing – you’re capable and worthy of thriving. It pulls listeners in, confronting disability misconceptions in a matter-of fact-fashion that silences any self-doubt.
With the aim of “writing a disability anthem,” Ian let his own experiences with SMA3 guide the pen. From it, emerged lyrics Ian said he’d “been looking for and craving.” Among many stand-out lyrics, the song features the line “if there’s one thing to see, it’s my humanity.”
That message was further brought to life by visual director Dominick Evans, who sought out disabled partners, parents, and children for the music video – binging overflowing examples of disabled joy to the screen. The video carries its audience through venerable real-life instances of childhood, family, love, and celebration, with chronically ill bodies at the forefront. Among many magical moments, the wedding of Shane and Hannah Burcaw, who offered their insight during production. The project was sponsored by Genentech as part of the SMA My Way program, which was built to support and raise awareness for the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) community.
As someone who also has SMA, Evans knew that glimpses into flourishing with a disability “wouldn’t be hard to find.”
“We got together with a group of people mainly from the SMA community, and it was beautiful. It was just about us living authentically in our own ways, and I wanted to make it inclusive. Because I am trans, queer, nonbinary and disabled, all of my work is very intentionally intersectional,” says Evans.
Ian is seen adding snapshots of those featured to the wall, slowly filling it as he sings to visualize the interconnectedness disability offers. As I saw the full wall of polaroids behind him, I couldn’t help but think of how rarely we see any kind of happiness portrayed in the disabled community, and how many of these abundant stories aren’t being told.
Spaces demonstrates exactly what happens when disabled people are put in charge.
Through this project, Evans became the first disabled person to direct a music video from their bed, showcasing solutions to industry barriers.
“I directed from my room in Michigan while the rest of the team was in Los Angeles. I hope this shows that I can direct from anywhere and that I do have a vision that can create something professional and wonderful. That wouldn’t have been possible without the freedom I was given by our team,” he says.
His environment granted him attention to detail, carefully choosing how to honor aspects of the disabled experience.
“One scene I enjoyed was how we incorporated cellphones swaying in the audience as James sings, but also included lower, front rows lights that weren’t swaying to represent wheelchair users that may not be able to sway them,” Evans recalls, adding “things like that show the unique value I bring.”
Similarly, Ian describes the song and video as “a huge slap in the face to the status quo when it comes to people with disabilities in the arts.” As both an actor and musician, Ian often finds himself unable to be considered for roles or fighting for access needs, prevented from being the representation so many deserve.
“I just love that the video and the song showed how easy that was for us to do. Welcoming disability doesn’t have to be complicated,” he says. A lack of complexity is something Ian notes ties into the larger theme of Spaces.
“It’s a reminder that disability is normal, and that people with disabilities can work our way into so many different parts of life if we’re given the chance,” he explains.
As younger generations of disabled communities press play on the single, Evans hopes the message they hear is “we know you’re out there. If all of these people exist, so can you.”
Watch the music video here!
