Why do you do it? As I told the police, it wasn't me. I wasn't even there. I don't know nothing about it. A lot of people look like me....
I do it because my pc is dead. But I do it slowly. First gently I put bootable usb drive then I install Windows. Wait... What was the question? I loose my poop. Sorry. Where are you Jenny?
Now I'm middle-aged I believe I've simplified it all down to one thing: making music is infinitely more interesting and good for the soul,regardless of the outcome, than sitting watching TV, drinking alcohol and trying to block out the futility of life.
Sorry for veering into off-topic again, but I feel like I need to clarify one thing. I realized now that I inadvertently put an emphasis on "feel better" here. This is not what I wanted to say. What I meant is, your feelings are *subjective* to you, and you can do something with them. Meanwhile, other people's feelings are *objective* to you, and you can only care for that other people. At the same time, while the world is *largely* meaningless, it's not *completely* meaningless. Certain things have a staying power of eternity. Things that have meaning beyond the timeliness of the world. Like Love, the universal unconditional kind, for example. Like whatever we choose to become throughout our lives. It's being debated, but creativity too belongs to this category. You'd want to get ahold of these ahead of any material well-being. It's a Christian thing, but I'm also a Christian, so there's that.
I relate with the rest of this thread but the question I ask myself is why do I continue to do music full-time without making any money....
I've been a comic artist and a vaguely successful game artist and now I direct game art teams. Frankly anything art related is just a job now, and a pretty dull one at that, but it pays the bills. So I create music every morning purely for fun and to relax. No pressure, done entirely for my own entertainment. I LOVE music, listening to it and making it, and I keep the whole experience very personal, very pure, with no external influences or pressures. Last edited by a moderator: Dec 20, 2023
Because I started playing the guitar as a depressed teen in a dysfunctional household as a way to escape reality, then it became my reality so I thought I might as well keep playing. After a while I stopped caring about why I do it. As legendary homosexual stick-up man Omar Little says : Fish gotta swim, you know?
Same boat. I was hired out of high-school as a comic book artist working for an independent publisher. Had a short stint with the company mostly because I lost the enthusiasm once it became a job. Transitioned to tech a few years later and became a media developer working in telecom. In the mid 2k's, I started getting back into it, eventually becoming a regular contributor for ImagineFX and even managed a few commissions creating artwork for several game developers. Those years were some of my favorite times as an artist. I still make comic book and concept art regularly, but mainly for myself. I get the same joy from creating art as I do music but like yourself I keep things close and personal. It's my daily escape and I'm very protective of it.
Hahaha mine took years to understand that showing it to the world is on the bottom of my priorities. She even arged with me hard with the same question "Why you do it?" going crazy seeing friends publishing way less interesting things in her opinion while I'm still hoarding my stuff... It's a private joke, being truly underground...
I was just talking about this with a friend this morning. I think a lot of us tend to be overly critical about the music we make. I definitely do this, but I also know putting something out that is less than where I feel needs to be would bother me more. I'm happy taking my time until I get things how I want them, even if my output isnt nearly as much as most.
There are two possibilities if I base it on both the positive and negative in the main thread introduction - LOVE or MASOCHISM. Joking aside, anyone has to love doing something or creating something to keep doing it when there is no viable reason for them to do it anymore. Financially, last century, which is only 24 years ago, you could make a decent living from music. So if anyone entering the music industry in the 21st Century is looking for financial justification without several pre-signed contracts paying good money, becoming a plumber is more likely to make them a millionaire if they want some kind of guarantee. Sad, but it is true. Creating should be a joy, making money from it if creativity is the goal is only a hindrance if it is a focus. It will or it won't but it should not be the M.O unless you are writing for someone else.
One of the paradoxes. Time, money and work. The big questions in life, so no easy recipe for this. Just cook slow, good ingredients, be patience and enjoy the meal. If it is good others will want some, if you wanna share.
Funnily enough I just read this from Mastodon, and I think this applies to a bunch of people here as well. Certainly describes me to a T. https://layer8.space/@killyourfm/111613947622829783
I'm quite an avoidant and introverted person, so making music enables me to fully express myself, and reflect on feelings I'd otherwise never express. A song can say a lot more than words. A lot of them are reminders of how I felt about things at the time when making them. I can revisit these moments in time. Ultimately, it's a passion that makes existence bearable. I'm not sure I'd have as good a well-being if I didn't have something I was good at that improved my self-worth. It's something I cling to and try to continually cultivate. It's like a journey. I like looking back and seeing what I've accomplished, how much music I've composed, and how much I've improved at it. Sometimes I am just in awe of the kinds of feelings and stories I can evoke through music. Even without an audience, I feel like I've made good use of this one life. Last edited: Dec 21, 2023
