Anyone pursuing music full-time will tell you, it’s a tough gig. You have to be willing to spend countless nights playing to an audience of ten people, for ten dollars just to even have the opportunity of finding the right audience. For musicians paying your dues is an understatement, some people pay all their life and never make any headway. So at this point, you might be asking yourself, with all of these cons, why spend your time doing it at all? Well, that’s a great question, and it’s simply because it’s their passion. It is the single thing that they love to do more than anything else on this beautiful planet. It is their fuel, their very reason for being! It is something so essential to their inner animus that they are willing to suffer every con that comes up because the pros are so indelible. If you’re still finding your feet on which side of the subject you agree with that’s completely understandable. For anyone making large life-altering choices, it’s great to have all the perspective you can get. In this article, we’ll talk about the drive necessary to follow this path, as well as explore some of the incredible highs that can occur when you decide to make music your profession. So, without further adieu let’s get started!
Feeling the Energy of a Hundred People
One of the most unique, and exceptional aspects of being a musician is the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd. There is no feeling quite as exhilarating as basking in the collective gaze of a hundred different eyes as you present your craft to them. When one plays in front of a large group of people they are challenging themselves to be vulnerable in a way that the audience can view and relate to. This is not an easy task. It is something that requires years of practice to develop, but the reward is this feeling. It’s a feeling that can pique your adrenaline like no other. A singular moment where the artist feels an intimate and profound connection with an entire room. It is something singularly spectacular.
If you’re considering becoming a musician, you may want to ask yourself. Does being in the spotlight sound appealing? If the answer is yes, then you’re on the right track. But if your answer was no. While not a deal-breaker this may be something to consider as you start to make your choice on whether or not you want to become a musician.
Long Hours and No Guarantees
One of the most difficult parts about being a professional musician is undoubtedly the lack of stability in your profession. Some days you are far farther up than you could’ve imagined, and other days you’re scrimping and saving. Unfortunately, that just comes with the territory. An unspoken rule of being a professional musician is the fact that a lot of the time you’re working mostly freelance jobs. This is a high-risk high-reward kind of occupation, as opportunities for employment ebb and flow. That creates a fiduciary tide, that for some can be a motivator. For others, however, it can be a difficult truth to confront when one wants to become a musician.
Sharing Your Self
One of the most inspiring aspects of any great piece of music is the fact that on some level it speaks to an emotional core that is universally relatable. How else would two people both cry to a classical piece with no lyrics? It’s because there is a fundamental part in all of us that has music hardwired into them. Across almost all of our collective history music has been a fundamental aspect of our existence. In this regard music is one of our most powerful and indefatigable tools. It allows us to express ourselves in ways that go beyond words into a realm of pure emotion. This is the greatest privilege of any musician. They have the power to utilize these tools, and the bravery to share something of themselves with us that we can all relate to.
Conclusion
When we ask ourselves the question, “is being a musician right for me?” It is important to realize that this is not something we ask ourselves once and is conclusively answered. These types of questions interrogate our identity, and it makes us reconsider how we view ourselves. These are considerations that are difficult to answer. They aren’t a question we can google away like how to upload music to Spotify . They make us delve deeper. You see, when one is a musician they return to this question at many different points in their career. And often it is answered a little differently each time. If you’re considering whether or not you want to become a musician, you’ll have to come to terms with that ambiguity. In the present, ask yourself the question and then sit with it. Let it linger along the edges of your mind, and in a day or two if you still want to pursue music. Then you have your answer!
