Last week, while I was watching America’s Got Talent, I was struck by something one of the musicians said. In truth, it wasn’t so different from what many others have said, but this time, it got to me. He said he’d given up music entirely for a few years because he didn’t think he would make it, and that this stint on AGT was his “last chance.”
Last chance at what? Making music? Because I’m pretty sure your guitar and your voice will work off stage as well as on.
Don’t get me wrong — I understand the allure. As a writer, I would love to gain serious popular approval. It would salve my ego and pad my bank account.
But you can’t live your life waiting for other people to approve of you, especially in mass. Do you really think it’s entirely about talent? Every year, hundreds of thousands of books are published, but only a handful ever gain true popularity, even in their genre. Do all the rest suck? Speaking as a representative of one of the rest, I don’t think so. Plenty of people who have read my books like them, and even rave about them. True mass popularity is a combination of factors, including (heavily) luck, timing, and persistence.
But if I never truly “make it” in the writing business, if I never gain the popularity, I’m still a writer.
And you, oh representative of so many stories on America’s Got Talent, American Idol, The Voice, etc., are you a musician or aren’t you? Only you can decide. It’s not a decision the rest of the country can make for you.
Creativity, in whatever form it takes, is part of the human condition. Part of the soul. It defines us, brightens are lives, and makes others happy.
So why have we decided, in our modern culture, that art (in whatever form) is a pipe dream? Not worthy of pursuit? Or even, sure, you can paint, but be sure to get a “real job” first.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not into the bohemian lifestyle. As a responsible citizen, I think we must all find ways to support our own passions. BUT…why must the “real job” be a primary function of our selves? Why is the pursuit of money holy? Why can’t a job pay the bills, while music or painting or writing or cooking or building robots…becomes our drive?
Every single person has the potential for creativity, in one form or another, and the vast, vast, vast majority will never become rich or famous through their creative passion. That does NOT mean you should give it up. It only means you have to find approval from within, rather than from without.
When you ask “Last chance at what?”, I believe the answer in most cases is “To be a professional musician”. This may or may not have anything to do with becoming famous; I know plenty of professional musicians whose name wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. But that word “professional” makes a world of difference.
The difference between being a professional musician vs. working to support the creative outlet is, optimistically, 40 hours per week. The economic reality for a huge section of the population is, it’s more than that – enough that often the idea of really committing to the art after working the job isn’t very realistic.
Does that mean they have to put music aside? Maybe, maybe not; but it puts limits on what they can achieve in the medium. If you had no hope of putting together a complete novel – never mind publishing, or what kind of response your writing might get, but actually no chance of completing the story in a form you consider suitably polished – would you be as committed to writing in the time you could set aside? Would you get as much out of your writing? Would not not feel that you had lost something?
Don’t get me wrong; there are limits to my sympathy for the “last chance” talent show contestant. In many cases I think if their options are limited it may be in part because they skipped steps in building the foundation of skills and knowledge, or because they only consider the “easy” paths to be open paths. But if they’ve been struggling to make ends meet and feel like they can’t keep putting 30 hours into a sputtering music career after working 50 to pay the bills, so now it’s time to either go big or go home… I feel that.
Am I a musician? I used to play the violin. I still find time to practice the guitar here and there. I play a few songs for Sophia, and learn a bit when I can. I get the occasional complement from a stranger at a karaoke bar. I read tab and could get back in the swing of reading notation pretty quickly, and I understand the basic concepts of music.
On the other hand, I have no skill as a songwriter. I’m not precise enough or consistent enough to play a paid gig. I have very limited opportunities to collaborate or to play for others. At any given time, I have a relatively limited set of songs I can play, and my ability to ad-lib comes and goes. I almost never put together anything “new”. I could rearrange my non-work priorities and narrow those gaps, but they can never be closed without a commitment I can’t afford at this time in my life.
A lot of these kids would have it even harder putting music second, because they don’t command the pay in their “day jobs” that I do in IT; so working 40 (50? 60?) hours, paying the bills, and then putting time and money into the “hobby” of music leaves pretty thin margins. That’s where they don’t want to be when they talk about their “last chance”.
Don’t forget to thank your husband for the love and support that make it a little easier for you to keep those troubles at a greater distance.
Great post. Thanks for reminding me that I am a writer even if I don’t have an audience.
My husband is awesome, and I thank him often. 🙂
You’re welcome!