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| Life and creativity take us in many directions. Neither seems to have a road map for us to follow. Just when you have your life planned out something happens to steer it in new directions. Our plans for the future rarely come out as we hoped. |
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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I recently enjoyed a lunch with several talented singer/songwriters who also all belong to the music ministry in my church. Though their art and talent take a different turn than my own it was nonetheless interesting to talk with them about song writing and the pressure they themselves feel, or have applied to them by well meaning people, to seek a career as a song writer. It struck me that no matter how we find ourselves in an artistic quandary the pitfalls and obstacles are the same.
A longtime friend and pastor described a journey taken with all of the anticipation of a storybook journeying to Hollywood. His trip was to meet Steven Curtis Chapman at a book signing in Houston, Texas. For those unfamiliar with Christian music, Chapman is well known and respected as both a singer and songwriter/artist. My friend flew from New Mexico just to travel to this book signing with the hope of dropping off a sample of his own songs on tape. Like those stories of unknowns waiting tables and auditioning at night my friend naively hoped his work might catch Chapman’s eye and lead to something greater on the horizon. A plane ticket and a stay in a hotel for a two minute or less introduction was his lot but he undertook it nonetheless. He described finally getting up to the table with Chapman a bundle of nerves with the copy of the book he just purchased. With a quick introduction and hope filled description of the tape he was giving him my friend waited for the object of his endeavor to respond. Chapman smiled, took the tape and set it aside and proceeded to write his signature for the fiftieth time. Mission accomplished, though a little deflated at the reception, my friend left the table and journeyed home. Weeks later he received a letter from Chapman’s publicist thanking him for the gift but due to legal obligations Chapman could not accept the gift nor listen to the songs it contained. The tape was returned unopened and un-listened to. A lesson learned at some cost to both pocket book and ego.
Undaunted, my friend saved up his money and attended a CMA (Christian Music Association) conference where participants get the opportunity to meet with producers and music labels in workshops and have their work critiqued by current industry moguls and artists. He said of all of the seminars he attended the one that opened his eyes to the realities of the industry was entitled “Why you won’t make any money as a songwriter”. Aside from the downer of a title he said it was nonetheless enlightening. In a nutshell most, if not all, performing artists are also songwriters and if they are not recording something they themselves wrote they are performing something written by just one man, Billy Sprague. It isn’t that this one person has the monopoly on the business; it is that he is that good. It is also that he himself is a performer and his work is in demand. That was, and still is, the reality of the business. It may sound unfair to our underdog sensibilities but it is the reality nonetheless. It is a business first and foremost and that ultimately means it is necessarily cold and a bit heartless.
My friend wasn’t bitter or downtrodden in his failure to get any notice for his work. He was in fact more determined to find his niche and continue honing his craft if for no other reason than to continue performing his original works in both Musical format and in worship songs. At the same table was another singer songwriter who is wholly content (at the moment at least) to write and perform for a small audience despite all of the prodding she gets from others to seek a wider path. There is a bit of fear there for sure but also an acknowledgement that she is satisfied with her lot in life. Perhaps it is a disaffection that moves us to attempt a wider audience and step out of our current surroundings to take on the “road to stardom”. Perhaps it is that contentment that leads us into further and further exploration of our art in a sort of incubator. There is a sense of wanting something different and new that often drives us into new areas of expression. Without that sense of “wanting” we would rarely seek anything new. Though it is all too easy to go for broke and come back broken we should know what is ahead and what is to be sacrificed before taking that bus ride into the western sunset. My friend didn’t know what was ahead when he took that trip to Houston and had he known he certainly would not have wasted the money. But he doesn’t regret the journey and the lesson he learned. Regret can be a powerful thief robbing us of any future as expressives. Do what ever you do without looking back save to laugh about it later with a group of friends.
We are not all cut out to be stars and some of those who do become stars are not cut out for it either! Stardom is but an occasional symptom of a life lived to ones art. As a symptom sometimes it is to be avoided at all costs. No privacy, hounded by fans, creating and re-creating the same affect but with different packaging, and a loneliness that only those who are in demand can only fathom. Instead of these things pursue what you do best and take the occasional serendipity when it comes your way with a cautious eye lest regret and disappointment rob you of any joy in the experience.
I started out writing short stories and have moved on to struggling with two novels. I also run a drama ministry where we perform only original works written by either myself or someone else in my ministry. Recently I was asked to form a comedy troupe for a bi-monthly local public access cable program combining the talents of several community people in a variety program. My willingness to go where opportunity and talent lead me has brought this about. When I first started to write I did not fathom such an opportunity as this; but we each have a unique voice and talent that can lead us to avenues of creativity where we can be heard. Do not limit yourself to mere publishing or stardom in your dreams; you might miss out on the things you can be doing right here and now.
Have you found other areas where your art and expression have found a place in this world other than what you thought when you first said to yourself “I’ll try writing”?
Do you know anyone else who started in one direction and ended up doing something different? What did they discover?
phil1861
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Having spent most of this NL on the songwriters that I know personally I thought I’d plug a few song writing items here on site.
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Questions from the 3/15/06 NL
Take those sign posts your inner creative child keeps throwing in your path as indicators of what it needs to explore. You might find that instead of bitterness comes a joy of new found respect and fulfillment instead.
demor
Submitted Comment:
When someone else gets published, my reaction is that the publisher is a fool not to recognize my genius after selecting the work of that other person. In my opinion, publishers these days are stuck in a economic warp that has little to do with talent or content.
Zeke
If talent and art are selling the so will the talented and artistic; if not then some other form becomes the basis for measure. It is a shame however that the mark of success has more to do with marketability than with artfulness.
vivacious 
Submitted Comment:
Ah, jealousy, I know him well. He stands over my shoulder and pokes the back of my head whenever I read a story or blog entry whose writing abilities far exceeding my own.
But I've learned not to ignore him, but turn around and stare him down. He always relents first with the thought, sure many thousands of people write better, but that just means I have much more work to do before I can reach that calibur.
And that's never a bad thing.
There is a sense of growth in ability to write and be concise. There is also uniqueness of voice and no matter how hard you try you never change that voice.
Submitted Comment:
Aahh! Yes, I don't think there is a human being alive who has not felt the twinge of jealousy.
I think I have grown as I've gotten older. In the past when someone excelled and I didn't the resentment would linger. Now, I become acutely aware of the start of a jealous emotion and stop myself. For now I believe that nothing good will come round my way if I cannot be happy for others. Interestingly, I have recently faced a little test in which I had to put this into practice! :)
Thanks for your thought-provoking topics and calling a spade a spade. I love that.
Deevra
More time is lost to us brooding than in creating.
{suser:arlehawk
Submitted Comment:
Your exploration of the "jealousy" topic was definitely well worth the read. You did not cover the specific problem I have right now, but I may be able to apply your insight to it and channel my frustrations into positive action.
Have you ever read or viewed someone's work and thought, "now really, what could anyone--at the height of their eloquence--ever say or show that could top THAT??"
I guess that's a form of jealousy. It's fairly paralyzing, so thank you for the words of wisdom...maybe I can fit them to good use.
{suser:novelvision}
Submitted Comment:
I hate to mix art and commerce. I am growing in my writing ability, and I am gaining proficiency at my artistic ability. I do portraits. Yet I know if I haggle about the price of a portrait, it hurts the whole deal. A person must have a happy heart to create. I think that this may be so even if you are writing a "bitter existentialist novel." I see no easy cure.
We do far better for ourselves if we are creating in a sense of contentment. Though jealousy can lead us in directions we need to take it shouldn’t bog us down in frightful inaction.
DB Cooper 
Submitted Comment:
Dear Pookie,
Your piece on jealousy is outstanding. I am jealous of good students since I was always bottom of the class!
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| ASIN: B004PICKDS |
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For Authors: April 12, 2006 Issue [#977]
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