Should I pursue composing or not even bother?

[SuperMarioGamer]

I know nothing about composing, but plan on learning lessons on youtube.  I am very serious and am willing to put in the effort of many years to become a professional composer.  But recognition for my music is my only reason for pursuing composing.  All my effort would just be wasted if I can't get my awesome music recognized and featured on youtube, soundcloud, etc.

 

I have a heart condition that could kill me before I get the chance to attain my goal.  If I can't attain my goal, then I would not even bother with composing at all.  So should I even bother with composing then if this is my only reason for doing it?

 

I don't think it is an idiotic attitude at all.  It's no different than how a body builder wishes to attain the goal of being in the magnificent muscular body of his dreams.  Otherwise, if he had some sort of condition that somehow prevented him from building muscle, then he would not even bother body building. 

 

He would not even bother lifting weights just to lift them and the whole process of lifting weights would now be meaningless to him since he cannot achieve the goal he wanted.  Some people would lift those weights anyway.  But I know that I wouldn't.  

 

So in that same sense, I would not compose just to compose.  My reason for composing is to attain that goal of having my music featured and recognized on youtube, soundcloud, etc.  You can pay to have your music and videos promoted. 

 

Lastly, I have created awesome and strange unique music in my mind that I don't want to go to waste.  But the only way for that music to get recognized would be to become a professional composer because that is the only way I can reproduce the music just as I hear it in my mind.  

 

I plan on then getting that music promoted on youtube where it can get recognized by many viewers.  I do not plan on just getting recognized.  It is the music I hear in my mind that I want recognized. 

Edited November 8, 2016 by SuperMarioGamer

[MonoStone]

You should do the things you love to do, or just want to do...

 

Nobody can tell you whether you'll be successful, or certainly not before you have something to show. Take a shot at it and see whether you enjoy it and whether you're good at it. 

 

You can try! Nobody knows how it will turn out....so it's not possible to answer your question definitively. Good luck! Just enjoy it.

[Rudi]

Based on what you've said here. I suggest that you don't bother.

[The S]

4 hours ago, Rudi said:

Based on what you've said here. I suggest that you don't bother.

 

Yup! Based on your own words, describing your own goals and how and why you're going to fulfil them, I wholeheartedly agree. Don't bother.

[TripMX]

16 hours ago, Rudi said:

Based on what you've said here. I suggest that you don't bother.

I wholeheartedly agree with Rudi.  I suggest that you don't bother because you'll lose all motivation before your work even has a chance to come to fruition in this day and age, SuperMarioGamer.

[SuperMarioGamer]

But then again, Stephen Hawking had a serious life threatening condition; but that did not stop him from trying to achieve what he wanted.  I have this life to live, so what am I going to do with it?  Well, I might as well pursue composing in the hopes that one day I will be able to share my music to others and my family just as how I envisioned those songs to be in my mind.  I just hope that I achieve my goal of having my music recognized by others since that is my only reason for taking up composing in the first place.  

 

I am glad that I do not know if or when my heart condition will kill me off.  If I were told by my doctor that I only had 1 month to live, then I would not even bother with composing since there would be no way I would be able to achieve my goal of wanting to become a professional composer in order to get the music I hear out of my mind and for it to be recognized by others, youtube, soundcloud, etc.  The music I hear in my mind is such awesome and bizarre music that there is absolutely no way I would want such music to go to waste and go unrecognized.

Edited November 10, 2016 by SuperMarioGamer

[MonoStone]

2 hours ago, SuperMarioGamer said:

But then again, Stephen Hawking had a serious life threatening condition; but that did not stop him from trying to achieve what he wanted.  I have this life to live, so what am I going to do with it?  Well, I might as well pursue composing in the hopes that one day I will be able to share my music to others and my family just as how I envisioned those songs to be in my mind.  I just hope that I achieve my goal of having my music recognized by others since that is my only reason for taking up composing in the first place.  

 

I am glad that I do not know if or when my heart condition will kill me off.  If I were told by my doctor that I only had 1 month to live, then I would not even bother with composing since there would be no way I would be able to achieve my goal of wanting to become a professional composer in order to get the music I hear out of my mind and for it to be recognized by others, youtube, soundcloud, etc.  The music I hear in my mind is such awesome and bizarre music that there is absolutely no way I would want such music to go to waste and go unrecognized.

 

You say you know nothing about composing. Do you play an instrument? What kind of composing do you want to do, is it instrumental? Rock? Classical? You say 'bizarre' but I mean is it guitar based? Synths? Orchestral? Will it all be done in a DAW or with real instruments? Will you sing too? Or will you be composing scores for others to perform? Please explain.... what are your current skills and what approach will you take?

 

If you plan on going for it then you'd be wise to explain better, that way you can get some advice here.

 

The way I understand your opening post... you want recognition from peers, from other musicians/composers etc...i.e. from us! Or maybe from a few well known artists/composers. That's not a goal out of anyone's reach IF you make great music. If you want fame and fortune then you'll need to be really special, very hard working, and lucky too. 

 

But you need to care first about the music... it's good to have a goal of 'making it', but you need to care most about just making great music.

[SuperMarioGamer]

1 minute ago, MonoStone said:

 

You say you know nothing about composing. Do you play an instrument? What kind of composing do you want to do, is it instrumental? Rock? Classical? You say 'bizarre' but I mean is it guitar based? Synths? Orchestral? Will it all be done in a DAW or with real instruments? Will you sing too? Or will you be composing scores for others to perform? Please explain.... what are your current skills and what approach will you take?

 

If you plan on going for it then you'd be wise to explain better, that way you can get some advice here.

 

The way I understand your opening post... you want recognition from peers, from other musicians/composers etc...i.e. from us! Or maybe from a few well known artists/composers. That's not a goal out of anyone's reach IF you make great music. If you want fame and fortune then you'll need to be really special, very hard working, and lucky too. 

 

But you need to care first about the music... it's good to have a goal of 'making it', but you need to care most about just making great music.

 

I don't plan on singing.  I just plan to make my music in computer music software such as FL Studio or other more advanced musical software.  I am learning how to compose as of now.  But in my free time when I am taking a break from learning, I will post here if something important comes to my mind.  What would you say to a painter in this situation I am going to describe below?  He is just like me since his reason for painting is my same reason for pursuing composing:
 
"I am very inspired to create beautiful and magnificent landscapes in my mind.  There is absolutely no way I want such innovative and unique landscapes to go unrecognized by my friends, family, and people all over online.  Therefore, I need some means of accurately recreating these landscapes I envision in my mind.
 
So I will take up painting even though I have no passion for painting.  I will cultivate the necessary years of knowledge and skill needed to become a professional painter so that I can finally get those landscapes in my mind out into the world just as how I envisioned them.
 
Actually, I now have a passion for painting, but only because of this goal I wish to achieve.  If this goal of having my envisioned landscapes recognized by many people was somehow unattainable due to some fatal disease or illness, then I would give up painting right then and there and I would no longer have anymore passion for it.  
 
Painting would mean absolutely nothing to me now.  The only thing that gives my painting meaning and the only thing that drives my passion to learn how to paint and to pursue it would be this attainable goal.  I sure hope I manage to attain this goal despite my heart problem.  Otherwise, everything I did and learned would all go to waste."
 
So what would you say to such a painter and what would you think of him/her?  The reason why I ask this is because I am curious as to what you think about my passion for becoming a composer. 

[MonoStone]

24 minutes ago, SuperMarioGamer said:

 

I don't plan on singing.  I just plan to make my music in computer music software such as FL Studio or other more advanced musical software.  I am learning how to compose as of now.  But in my free time when I am taking a break from learning, I will post here if something important comes to my mind.  What would you say to a painter in this situation I am going to describe below?  He is just like me since his reason for painting is my same reason for pursuing composing:
 
"I am very inspired to create beautiful and magnificent landscapes in my mind.  There is absolutely no way I want such innovative and unique landscapes to go unrecognized by my friends, family, and people all over online.  Therefore, I need some means of accurately recreating these landscapes I envision in my mind.
 
So I will take up painting even though I have no passion for painting.  I will cultivate the necessary years of knowledge and skill needed to become a professional painter so that I can finally get those landscapes in my mind out into the world just as how I envisioned them.
 
Actually, I now have a passion for painting, but only because of this goal I wish to achieve.  If this goal of having my envisioned landscapes recognized by many people was somehow unattainable due to some fatal disease or illness, then I would give up painting right then and there and I would no longer have anymore passion for it.  
 
Painting would mean absolutely nothing to me now.  The only thing that gives my painting meaning and the only thing that drives my passion to learn how to paint and to pursue it would be this attainable goal.  I sure hope I manage to attain this goal despite my heart problem.  Otherwise, everything I did and learned would all go to waste."
 
So what would you say to such a painter and what would you think of him/her?  The reason why I ask this is because I am curious as to what you think about my passion for becoming a composer. 

 

As it happens I'm an artist too... I've made a career in art. And in music I have been recognized to some small extent by other music artists and been heard and appreciated (a bit, not to any huge extent) beyond that.... Hence I'm saying that your goals are not beyond reach... your reply here suggests that you misunderstood my post to you. I'm the one saying that you COULD achieve your goals IF you make great music.

 

However... you're going about things in a slightly back to front way. The way you explain your ambition is probably causing others to see the negative side. If we shorten your opening post it kind of says 'I've never played a note before, I have no idea how to make music, but I want success. Should I bother trying?' ... I read it slightly differently, I don't think you're looking to become a star or make a living from it, you just want to realise the music you imagine, and then be heard and have your music be appreciated by a few people, right??

 

The way that's back to front is that your starting from nothing and yet you're focusing on recognition. As an artist myself, I focused on creating art before I even thought about making a career from it. You need to know whether you're any good at something before you start thinking about your work being appreciated by others. You need to make art/music that YOU believe is good first. And personally I think it's best to make any kind of art firstly because you just want to, because you love it or because you're just compelled to. And unless you're a natural musical genius, if you've never played an instrument or made music before you should expect it to take quite a long time before it even sounds 'ok'. 

 

Taking lessons on Youtube won't make you great if you've never even tried to make music before. Get a DAW, get a keyboard for it, and just start making sounds. Online tutorials will help you learn how to use the DAW, but not how to make great music.

 

And don't be so defensive!  I'm trying to be positive and helpful. People here will help you if you have the attitude that you just want to make music. Asking 'should I bother' isn't going to get you many great comments.... If you want useful feedback, just make some music and post it. Get stuck in. Post your music. For all we know you might be brilliant... it is impossible to know until we hear.

 

 

Edited November 10, 2016 by MonoStone

[SuperMarioGamer]

5 minutes ago, MonoStone said:

 

As it happens I'm an artist too... I've made a career in art. And in music I have been recognized to some small extent by other music artists and been heard and appreciated (a bit, not to any huge extent) beyond that.... Hence I'm saying that your goals are not beyond reach... your reply here suggests that you misunderstood my post to you. I'm the one saying that you COULD achieve your goals IF you make great music.

 

However... you're going about things in a slightly back to front way. The way you explain your ambition is probably causing others to see the negative side. If we shorten your opening post it kind of says 'I've never played a note before, I have no idea how to make music, but I want success' ... I read it slightly differently, I don't think you're looking to become a star or make a living from it, you just want to realise the music you imagine, and then be heard and have your music be appreciated by a few people, right??

 

The way that's back to front is that your starting from nothing and yet you're focusing on recognition. As an artist myself, I focused on creating art before I even thought about making a career from it. You need to know whether you're any good at something before you start thinking about your work being appreciated by others. You need to make art/music that YOU believe is good first. And personally I think it's best to make any kind of art firstly because you just want to, because you love it or because you're just compelled to. And unless you're a natural musical genius, if you've never played an instrument or made music before you should expect it to take quite a long time before it even sounds 'ok'. 

 

Taking lessons on Youtube won't make you great if you've never even tried to make music before. Get a DAW, get a keyboard for it, and just start making sounds. Online tutorials will help you learn how to use the DAW, but not how to make great music.

 

And don't be so defensive!  I'm trying to be positive and helpful. People here will help you if you have the attitude that you just want to make music. Asking 'should I bother' isn't going to get you many great comments.... If you want useful feedback, just make some music and post it. Get stuck in. Post your music. For all we know you might be brilliant... it is impossible to know until we hear.

 

 

 

I already have made art (music) in my mind that is really good to me and that is why I pursued composing in the first place so that this music in my mind can get recognized by others.  It is my only reason for taking up composing in the first place just like that situation I described with the painter.  The only way I can make great music is if my heart condition allows me to become a professional composer who has learned everything there needed to be learned to get my music out there just as how I hear it in my mind.  So I am in the process of wanting to become a professional composer and I hope that my heart condition allows for that, otherwise everything I worked for would all be a waste to me as long as these awesome songs in my mind cannot get recognition.

[MonoStone]

1 minute ago, SuperMarioGamer said:

 

I already have made art (music) in my mind that is really good to me and that is why I pursued composing in the first place so that this music in my mind can get recognized by others.  It is my only reason for taking up composing in the first place just like that situation I described with the painter.  The only way I can make great music is if my heart condition allows me to become a professional composer who has learned everything there needed to be learned to get my music out there just as how I hear it in my mind.  So I am in the process of wanting to become a professional composer and I hope that my heart condition allows for that, otherwise everything I worked for would all be a waste to me as long as these awesome songs in my mind cannot get recognition.

 

Like I said, if you make good music then some people will appreciate it. Becoming a professional is another matter, it's a very difficult industry to find any success in. It's impossible to know whether you will succeed or not. I can't hear what's in your head, and I don't know whether you'll be able to realise the music that's in your head (imagining it and making it are two very different things). If you're just looking for a reality check - the vast majority don't find huge success or huge recognition even after many years, the quality of your music does not guarantee that...far from it. I was trying to be positive or optimistic for you, but now I feel like joining in with the 'don't bother' answer.

 

Good luck.

[Mahesh]

Do what you love. If you are too focused on the goal than the ball, the game ain't fun. 

 

[SuperMarioGamer]

6 hours ago, HoboSage said:

It's just music, and like all art, it's a selfish pursuit.  If you really want to make a difference before you check out, then pull yourself out of your own deluded imagination, face reality, and do your best to help others.

 

Everyone's clock stops ticking.

 

 

 

I am a narcissist sociopath whose only desire is to be happy, have a wonderful life, have no misery in my life, and to get what I want.  Recognition for my music is what I want and is what I am aiming for.  I have no desire to help others, live for others, make the world a better place, etc.