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There is a famous music producer that I follow and he once said something that I think applies to everyone trying to be successful in any industry. He said he
by bonestamp2 3y ago
There is a famous music producer that I follow and he once said something that I think applies to everyone trying to be successful in any industry.
He said he knows people who are more talented than he is, but they tried to be successful from their keyboard alone, and he became wildly successful because he hates sitting behind his computer all day. Early in his career he was out at clubs meeting people, which led to volunteering in recording studios, which taught him a solid foundation, which led to getting hired for larger gigs, concerts, and then music festivals, a Las Vegas residency, etc. Like you said, he persistently rolled the dice on as many game boards as he could find and his number eventually came up.
Now, another person could have done all of the same things and not been as successful, and those are the two different sides of making your own luck I suppose -- even in making your own luck, there is an element of luck.
- shermantanktop 3y agoConstantly rolling the dice comes at a cost of repeated rejection. In the creative space, where the work or performance can be deeply personal and exposed, that quantity and frequency of rejection can be too much to bear.
- bonestamp2 3y agoI absolutely agree, there are very few people resilient enough for it. But, not all of that journey has to be personal... just showing up and being part of the industry, helping others, putting in more than you might ever get out, etc can earn a lot of goodwill from others. But it's still risky in several ways. I know a few people who are wildly successful, and none of them did it without a lot of risk and luck.
- shermantanktop 3y agoFor me, as someone with side activities in the arts, going from "almost done" to "actually done" is a huge step precisely because the work is no longer a process artifact, and now has to stand on its own merits. How one's ego is involved changes dramatically. There's a reason there are so many unfinished symphonies and novels...