This is my third daily post of 500 words. It continues the topic I started on Day 1, so if you are interested you can start there or on Day 2.
… Another thing which I see in the same way is music. Music is therapy for me, both listening to it and creating it. To be honest though, I despise the marketing side of music, or of any creative endeavor, the business aspect of it that is. But how do I expect to get my music to people’s ears if I neglect this crucial aspect of being an artist, or at least an artist to the public? I’m thankful for the same system which allows me to conveniently purchase or stream music I want to hear, and I can only hope the same is available for my own music when I do feel ready to go all in on promoting it. For as thankful as I am though, something in it just doesn’t feel right. I think it goes back to what I was just writing about before, the integrity of the thing, of the craft. Once you’ve composed a beautiful piece of music, and you’ve worked on it day and night, you’ve perfected every part of it until it’s completely satisfactory for you, all that those close to you want to know is how you’re gonna market it and make some money from it, make something of yourself with it. Your art becomes a means for monetary gain. Where you see an expression of your very essence they see nothing but a product. The thing itself becomes secondary to its financial or monetary utility. You still have to make something of yourself, since it isn’t enough that you’ve created a beautiful work of art, it will only matter if it becomes known all throughout the world or if it makes you a lot of money. If that’s not the case then you’re a failed artist in others’ eyes.
You, you just feel good that you’ve made something you’re proud of, something that you’ve worked hard on, maybe something you’ve been wanting to create for a while. You just want to sit and enjoy it for a bit, whereas everyone else expects you to do something with it, it seems. But is it true that that’s all you want? Is that really enough? Or could it be that you need other people to enjoy it as well? And if you do, is there anything necessarily wrong with that? Maybe, as humans, we just want to share something we think is worth sharing with other humans, something we think will be relevant or pleasant for them, as it is for us. Is it natural, then, for us to want to make something of ourselves, to use our creative talents to gain the respect and admiration of others? Or is it a bit of an ego trip? Do we love our art more because it’s ours? Maybe some of us even hate it more than we normally would, precisely because it is ours. Or is it that we want freedom? Maybe becoming famous or just well-known for our creative endeavors represents true power and freedom, both creative and financial, giving us unlimited time for perfecting our artistic expression, knowing we have an audience, and therefore a true purpose for expressing what we wish to show the world.
See, the artist creates a work of art. That is all that defines the artist. How many people see or hear it, that’s another question. It’s like what I said about philosophy. If you love wisdom, if you ponder the meaning of existence, you are a philosopher. In the same way, if you create art, then you are an artist, even if no other soul knows about it other than yourself. If you do choose to get it out there then you have to go about making that happen, but unfortunately that’s exactly the point where things start getting complicated. It’s like what Camus wrote, about the absurd being what arises from the clash between the human mind and the cold reality of the world. When something as pure as music comes into contact with something so cold and competitive as is the world of business, there is no possible outcome other than its eventual corruption. You created this thing because you loved doing it. You loved the process and you loved the finished product. It represents a part of you, maybe a specific emotion or idea from within your heart or mind. The corruption comes because, again, making your art public means turning it into a business, and in any business, there is money to be made. Those with money have the means to market effectively in order to make it. They might want to sell a message to the public, and musicians and artists could be the perfect representatives of that message, so with enough money you could market your message very effectively and have the mass population believing it, or at least having it floating around in their heads, planting seeds. So, what can be done in the face of such widespread corruption? What can a talented individual, who may not have much money, do to keep his or her integrity in the face of such seemingly inevitable corruption of their creation? Could the only possible way of keeping it completely pure be to conceal it?
It’s something I’ll probably explore for tomorrow’s post, so follow me if you’re interested in what I’m writing about. I appreciate you.
If you have a few minutes please listen to my track “garden of peace.” Much love.
rebel eye 