When you make your music, who do you do it for?

Is it for your audience–a selfless gift of sharing your art with others who can derive nourishment from the expression that springs forth from your soul?

Is it for yourself–an act of relief, giving form to the whims of your imagination and reveling in the fun of the creative process?

For many, the question of who the the music is being made for opens up what may seem like a competition between selfishness and generosity. The issue can grow even more complex when you factor in making a profit from your art.

On the one hand, we are taught that it is better to give than to receive. At the same time, there seems to be an undeniable part of our nature that is self-focused, self-centered, and self-interested.

So is it one or the other? Are we to chose between modeling Mother Theresa or Gene Simmons?

Listen to this podcast as several solutions are provided for achieving greater balance between selfishness and compassion in the life of the professional artist.

This part 5 of the 5-part “Prosperous Musician” series of SOS podcasts.

 

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Fame. Celebrity. Star. Superstar. What do these words bring to your mind?

Are you famous? Do you want to be? Are you hoping to be famous someday? Have you given up on your chances at fame? Has fame never been important to you in the first place? Are you secretly jealous of those who have achieved notoriety?

Though fame may be a powerful resource, the quest to achieve or sustain it can be a grand illusion and costly distraction–one that that holds many artists back. The quest for connection, on the other hand, brings with it the promise of deeper relationship–to the music, the audience, and to oneself.

Join the SOS conversation as the last of seven common myths of musicianship and the creative process–fame–is explored from a broader perspective than usually addressed in most music and entertainment circles.

 

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