Empowerment

[john]

Hey Guys

 

This week I have had a few conversations about empowerment, about achieving goals, personal habits, motivation and ultimately about having what we need to achieving our goals. Do you feel empowered?

 

I’d love to hear comments and of course see some responses to the poll!

 

Go on. Be an active part in the conversation about achieving your musical goals!

 

Cheers

 

John

[Steve Mueske]

Hmm, this is an interesting topic. I think it boils down to what is meant by "empowered."

 

On one hand, I have never had a problem being motivated to create. I work hard at my craft, put in the time, and constantly learn. From an internal standpoint, I feel empowered by progress. I'm self motivated.

 

But if the term, in the context of this discussion, means "are you energized and motivated by success and growing a fan base, then no, but perhaps it is because I'm not really well known outside niche circles. I periodically go through periods of trying (mostly out of guilt) to promote my work, but that always feels counter-productive because it relies on statistics, external validation, etc. I suck at promotion and I hate it. For me, it takes too much energy for any meaningful impact. I really just want to make music. Technically, I'm probably considered a hobbyist, but I've never thought of myself that way. I've always believed I'm an artist. It's what I need to continue being creative.

 

And so there's always this internal war. Am I serious or not? Of course I'm serious, but I hate that the industry transforms serious music into a product. There is nothing more antagonistic to art than its packaging and commercialization.