There are, at times, bizarre arguments about the merits of art, in whatever endeavor, that revolve around what constitutes legitimacy. In music it's making it, which can mean almost anything, although mostly it consists of getting a record deal and making money. That pursuit doesn't always pan out, in fact in most cases it does not, but for those of us who were either disinterested in that pursuit or appalled by how artists are often treated, never mind the artist's own lack of awareness of how the biz works, it held no great sway.
Closer to home is the question of whether you're serious or merely playing music as an extracurricular activity, akin to, let's say, quilting.
Leave aside the insult to quilters,who are artists in their own right, and ask what is decisive in authenticating an artistic vocation versus just being labelled a hobbyist. Often this is promoted by the frustrated. The biz is tough and it's more interested in marketability than artistic expression. And this inevitably rears its head for those whose talents gets them very close, but not quite, to the cusp of "Making it." Then it's what are you willing to change or sacrifice to really make it? But most never get close.
Is making the art, in this case songs, more or less important than being able to sell and make money from them? If you're a singer-songwriter, which is more important: Being a singer or writing songs? Those who write to, and for, the biz and those who want to be a part of it, always state that the songs have to come first. If you're a songwriter, you've got to have songs, good songs, interesting songs, even gimmicky songs to get a foot in the door. That takes time, that takes energy and desire, and is often the hardest thing to do, but when you've finished it and are ready to lay on the people, then what?
That takes a lot of work too.
It also means that at some point you're going to have to be real about how far you can go with it. If you write and play songs, you're an artist, whether at an open mic, for friends, at house concerts, bars, or the promised land of music venues. Some see more authenticity in playing bars and coffee houses, whether the audience is paying attention or not, than at open mics or songwriter get-togethers, but this misses the point.
Art is inevitably a personal journey, a personal expression whatever the medium. The tried and true dictum that making what you think will be popular with others, but not yourself, will leave you unfulfilled is accurate. Creating on spec isn't the same. It may utilize the same talents, and for a rare few, John Williams, the composer as an example, they may be one and the same, but that does not mean that Mr. Williams may not have any affinity for a particular soundtrack composed beyond that it met the needs of the filmmakers.
Obviously, most artists would love to make a living through their craft. So would I, but whether or not I can monetize my art to produce a living wage does not in and of itself determine whether the art has any value or is worth the effort of its creation. If I'm content to go no further than a few open mics to share my music to the world, that ought to be enough. Whatever another artist wishes to do is up to them, but it doesn't ipso facto relegate those who don't to the status of hobbyist.
©2019 David William Pearce
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