Music is one of my favorite art forms because it so subjective and in the moment, both for the artist and the listener. Even when listening to or performing my favorite songs I have to be in the mood for that type of music at that particular time. You're not going to listen to Metalica while having a romantic dinner, for example.
The music business is brutal and requires a thick skin to even contemplate getting involved in. Contrast that with the openness and vulnerability needed to create and perform music and you'll have two forces diametrically opposed to each other. Many of the most talented artists can't handle those two polarities and I think it's why so many artists turn to drugs to numb themselves from all the criticism fired at them and their passion.
It really helps to focus on your music and not so much what people have to say about it. Even when you have thousands of fans you'll still have about 25% of the people exposed to your music that hate what you do. It's just how the 25/50/25 rule works.
That's why staying focused on producing music instead of people's reaction to it at any given time is so important. If you listen to haters or your own doubts as an artist and start to internalize that dialog you're screwed before you even have a chance to build a following.
To illustrate my point about how subjective music is, let me share a little story about when my band would create new music.
I was writing lots of songs in those days and always thought of them, especially lyrics, as a wardrobe in my closet that I could pull out anytime the guys had a groove going and try it on for size. Even though I spent hours writing and pouring my heart into it, I always without fail kept a part of me unattached to the work. I wasn't attached to the melody, the lyrics, the progression, none of it really. It was all disposable and mutable. I mean, after all, it's just some noise I made. I could make a different noise if I had to.
So I would show up with my usual enthusiasm and present my new song idea to the group and for whatever reason, at that moment, it didn't inspire them the way I hoped it would. No problem. I would just shrug it off and we would work on something that did inspire them right then, seeing how we're all here we may as well get some work done.
Three or four weeks would go by, sometimes months, and I would present the exact same thing to them and bam, they loved it and felt inspired and we'de have a new song. They didn't even remember I had shown it to them before and I never mentioned it.
So what was different? Who the fuck knows? They were, the moment was. What if I had internalized another self-defeating explanation for why they didn't respond favorably earlier? We would have never had that song.
One thing I've learned is musicians are not songwriters. They don't even remember that I'm trying the same lyrics on this new song and tried it on another song a few months ago. They think I'm writing lyrics on the spot and can't figure out how I do it. Hahahaha! I'm just pulling a wardrobe out of the closet that's been hanging there for months, sometimes years and I can do that because even though I'll sing it with all the heart I can bring to it, I'm not attached to how it ends up being expressed.
If I was deciding whether I should or shouldn't write a song, present a song, enter a contest, or play a gig based on someone's response to my music I may as well become a waiter and at least get tips for good service.
So true and beautifully articulated as well, bruthaman @luzcypher.
I loved your story about your band.
You’ve got a very Buddhist type of unattachment approach that is awesome advice for attaining emotional stability when it comes to the arts. I’m not certain that’s realistic for everyone, at least not all the time, but it’s definitely a good goal to aim for.
Regarding creativity: I agree. I’d have never booked a single gig nor ever toured nor released several albums over the last 25 years if I’d based my creativity on what other people think.
An artist creates.
A performing artist entertains people. In other words, performing is an art done as a service for other people.
Call me old school, but after more than 2 decades of working stages around the globe, I still hope the audience applauds at the end of the song and the end of the show.
I don’t expect it, but that applause is the acknowledgment, or gauge, that you’re doing your job properly as a performIng artist (it can be very different to being just a songwriter or just a musician, as not all musicians nor songwriters are performing artists).
What @passion-ground has wisely addressed in both his posts, and I’ve reiterated the importance of, is the digital equivalent of applause.
It shouldn’t be necessary for an artist’s emotional balance, but applause helps us assess whether we’re doing our job as performing artists.
That is an etiquette between performer and audience that has been around for millennia.
What you have generously provided for musicians here on Steemit is truly amazing!
I am personally grateful that Open Mic exists.
You know I feel this way as we’ve spoken about it.
You know I’m all about the sharing because I’ve vocalised that numerous times.
You also know that I encourage and congratulate people for entering because they’ve bravely shared their heart’s expression and there’s reward in the sharing itself as you’ve agreed on my comments about this.
Heck! It feels like such an inclusive community that you make me feel like I am part of the inner team. That is some potent magic you are weaving there! Why else would I feel the confidence to speak candidly here?
Much love to you, mate! Thanks for all you do! And thanks to all the judges for all they do… And thanks to every brave human that pours their souls into their entries for the mighty Open Mic community…
Blessings and love all around!
What a brilliant analogy, Nathan. I totally get that, brother - it hits the nail on the head!
This is all I’ve been talking about the whole time, but struggled to convey in text format. Digital applause. Not my own personal validation, which is how this all got misconstrued & misdirected.
What I’m questioning, or rather, boldly bringing to the forefront of our consciousness, is
what are the performance protocols are in this digital format?
What do you guys think?
The dynamic between performer and audience, including all its tiers, has been a protocol or etiquette for thousands of years in the performing arts, which would be arrogant for us to ignore or dismiss, so it is important for us to establish how that etiquette plays out in this Steemit Open Mic digital arena.
I think that makes perfect sense, brother! In light of such, might I suggest to all of my musical brothers and sisters, and to all those who love music and follow the Open-Mic or any other online musical venue:
Better yet...
I like the way John Lennon put it in his brash, in-your-face kind of way. When asked by an interviewer how he wrote so many songs he said, "It's just what I do every day, like having a shit."
HAHA! I love the way John said things and caused stirs with his up front boldness with humour.
Comparing a performer to a songwriter is like comparing an actor to a playwright.
One creates the story framework.
The other performs it to people.
They only intersect if the artist does both at the same time, like an improvisational jam band or live theatre sports.
Gosh! How I love witnessing total improvisation! Spontaneous creation and performance intertwined..
Ha-haaa! That drew quite a chuckle, Luz! :-)