I get this question all the time. It’s a hard thing to put yourself out there as a musician, for every success there is an equal or greater amount of criticism and potential failure to deal with; it’s enough to make anyone second guess themselves. So in the face of criticism and potential failure, how do you keep yourself motivated as a musician?
Music is a subjective experience and not all music is for everyone. I’ve had times where audiences are very sophisticated and engaged in the performance and other times when the audience might be talking and aren’t fully engaged in the performance. Do I take it personally when an audience isn’t paying attention? While it can be frustrating, I remind myself of the reality of the situation.
It’s taken me a long time and lots of performances to get an understanding of how people react to and appreciate what you are providing; it’s not all about you. People have other things on their minds and different frames of reference and your performance is not the only thing going on in their lives at that moment.
When it comes to auditions it can be equally frustrating. Maybe you keep winning and winning and then all of a sudden hit a big losing streak. Or maybe you haven’t won anything yet. How do you remain motivated at times like this? I know it’s much easier said than done, but if music is your passion, you shouldn’t give up and you must keep your focus on the big picture. If you look deep down in yourself you might find that it’s not about your performance but more about the random elements of auditioning and performing.
You are not the only one who has faced adversity. It’s sometimes comforting to read stories about hugely successful musicians and see that they experienced the same amount of struggle and conflict in building their careers. Lady Gaga was told time and time again that she would never succeed and that she was not good looking or talented enough to be successful – do you think anyone tells her that now?
If music is your passion then you shouldn’t give up. Obviously you have to find a way to make a living doing something, but you should always keep your passion alive and find ways to embrace your creative side. If you keep at it, will you become the next superstar musician? Probably not. However if playing music is what makes you happy, then sharing your art should be something that fulfills you; you must be creative finding ways of monetizing your art.
Failure is an essential learning experience. It should not define you and it should not deter you from reaching your goals.
Thanks again for joining us, if you have any comments about this subject or any other subject please contact us directly: info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729