Human Clay

Human Clay

Human Clay is the second album from Florida based rock band

Creed. The album includes the least amount of the band's mainstream

hits compared to that of their debut and final albums but portrays possibly

the most intresting album cover of the late ninties. The band's biggest hit

from the album, "Higher," can symbolize as part of the solution to become

free and break the mold of clay. The thoughts of freedom from some

aspects of life as well as how people are like clay and as they grow they

become a figure that is more human and alive than that of a simply molded

waste.

As a child, people learn and grow depending on their enviroment.

The Human Clay used in the album art of the band shows a clay figure

deteriorating into the road of clay or outstretching its arm to climb out of

the road. The deteriorating version represents a figure falling to the mold

and sinking which quite possibly represents the fall of life and the sinking

back into where the figure's life began to restart the cycle of life in new

form. The other version could represent the new mold after accepting God

into one's life. Scott Stapp, frontman of the band, was a born again

christian and frequently used songs and other forms of media to express

statements of God so this could also represent something to Stapp as a

born again christian rises from the clay; much as the story of Adam and

Eve. By the bible, Adam was created from dirt so this could be an

interpretation of the creation of Adam. The figure shows no emotion and

looks deaf and dumb to what is happening much as someone dying would

look before death. The figure could also be representing shock of new life.

Another possible reaction from the work could be the feeling of being so

close to freedom. Freedom from the road or freedom of life as it returns to

the forms home of the clay road or freedom rising above the road to

assume new life.

Freedom is represented in this artwork as someone trying to get

away from where they were previously established. This artwork can be

used in times as near as now in form of the casualities and civilians

incorporated in the war of Iraq. The deserted background and lonely

figure could easily represent the fear of loneliness as being the only living

subject in the art. Freedom also shown that is efficient

would be

associated with religion once again. Freedom to express yourself and

"break the mold," of the common or ordinary people surrounding one's

everyday life. The breaking away from the road can represent popular

religion along the road and the figure breaking out is a radical who is free

to pursue religion of choice. There are many scenarios that could be

represented