Do you write for other composers to like you?
Dangerous question. Most composers will say no, though it might be the ego talking and not the composers. Most of us are worried that other composers won’t respect us or see us as someone worth listening to. Wrong.
Sometimes, artists can be very territorial. I often see artists trying to prove that they are serious; hence that technique or that wicked piece that looks, sounds, and feels nothing like they truly are.
It’s almost their interior animal wanting to demonstrate they own the space.
Be Yourself
It can be daunting. I won’t lie to you: It is scary.
“What if I am judged for who I am?” You might think, but here is a more important question for you:
Are you trying to please other artists with your art?
The issue is that when you are not yourself, you are setting yourself up for failure. Imagine that you are on a date, and you change your whole self to make this other person like you. Will you act that way your whole life to keep this person interested? What happens when you are tired of lying? Would you always be comfortable adding gimmicks to attract people that wouldn’t be interested in you or your music?
Just for the release
Composers writing for composer feels like they are just feeding themselves and not caring for their audience or even the art itself. They seem to write just for the musical release.
I believe that writing to please other composers is worthless. It might be hard to accept but when we tailor our music for other composers, a competitor comes to the surface. We want to demonstrate that we know things and that we know enough to be called composers.
Being authentic
Writing music is an exercise of letting go. Deciding to be more who you are will make you feel vulnerable. You will start to wonder:
What if they don’t like it? What if they reject my music or me?
This is what happens when we write to please other composers. Somehow we think our music is not smart enough and begin to include things that we wouldn’t have in the first place.
I used to look for validation, day and night. This was pointless because at the end of the day I don´t need any type of validation to make my art, or I would not have done my new piece Peanut Butter!
I am not looking to be accepted into the realm of composers. I am already a composer and one with a valid voice, as we all are. That was a huge realization for me. To know that we are all composers simply because we write music, no matter how that looks, sounds, or sells.
We don’t need to be Claude Debussy or Arvo Part to feel that I am a composer. To finish this post, I once read on a Facebook Post:
Don’t be afraid to write the kind of music your teacher will hate.
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