I got an email from an old bandmate who was distressed over how others were receiving (or not) his music. I spoke honestly and from the heart. Although this post isn’t about band-naming, I thought it could prove useful to others because all creative folks go through these slumps from time to time.
Email from my old bandmate:
Honestly… a bullet in my head sounds like the best ‘future/opportunity’ for me. I’m weary; so tired of trying and everyone hating me. Funny how the kindness I try to give is taken as BS or shit.
That tells me I suck at it. So, probably no girl for me ever gain. How?
People who like my songs either want to fuck me or want to use me. No fans. So, what is the point? I don’t even like to touch my guitar; haven’t in years. Somehow I do, but it’s not pleasant. As soon as I do, I’ve a song that sucks. Another thing people won’t like and will never listen too. Is that why you quit?
My Response:
You don’t do art for anybody but yourself or it isn’t art IMHO.
What are your goals for your music? Mine were to write one timeless piece of music and maybe get some mutual respect from artists I admire. Even though I’m not actively performing or writing, I think something along those lines would be my goal when I start up again.
What brought me the most joy besides performing was sitting back and listening to a recording I did; especially years later. I get a lot of joy out of that even though I can nit-pick it to death and find a shit-ton of “mistakes” in the recording or performance.
Just the other day I spun my old 4-track album over some beers and kept smiling. I was blown away at my creativity and enjoyed the memories and personal allusions from that time in my life.
In the end, I think as long as you like what you create — or at least the way you are choosing to express yourself — then you are doing great. It’s not fair to yourself or others to expect a specific type of reception to your art. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself creating for others. That’s fine if you are writing jingles for an advertising agency, but not if you are a folk singer.
P.S. For the record, a lot of guys are happy if their song makes a girl want to fuck them. A lot of “Behind the Music” type documentaries have musicians stating “girls” as the reason they started playing.
