Ear to the Earth is an ethos central to John's work that places the recognition and application of principles and patterns drawn from nature at its core. The attitude allows an understanding of sound in all its inborn communicative facets alongside the creation of music and sonic art that display similar characteristics to other natural objects - qualities such as: aesthetic beauty, complex internal relationships reflecting balance and equilibrium, and plausible/convincing features relating to the nature of being.  The range of works that spring from this animating principle are united in that they present related aspects of the paradigm through a variety of genres. Common reactions to the works include: deep emotional responses, feelings of self-affirmation and personal reconciliation, connectedness to others, community and nature, as well as physical or "gut" feelings of warmth and wellbeing. A hallmark of the art form is its felt sense of worth. 

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"The experience is a reminder of the preciousness of life - of those unseen dimensions of love and connection - a purity, fragility, and sensitive anima within us all that binds itself to the essence of life force. Her loving arms are around you oh precious child." (collective comment - Onekaka, January 2024)