Haters abound. If you’re not being criticized, you’re not doing it right, you’re only playing in front of family and friends.
Hate intensifies the bigger you get, especially in the Net world, where everybody gets a voice. There is no protection.
Wander into the world and experience the slings and arrows, toughen your skin.
- Bob Lefsetz
I won't say where I got this quote, but let's just say it was tweeted by an embarrassing public figure and I am pathetic enough to have picked up on it. And yet, there can be wisdom over twitter. Some background: Bob Lefsetz is a music industry icon, apparently, a harsh critic of the details of the music business.
He's right, you know. Still, it doesn't make it easier. My skin is very thin, even though I want to be rubber. I want that criticism - often perceived as personal slights - to bounce right off, not affecting me in the least. But at my very core, I want to be loved. Because of this fact, I focus on pleasing others at all costs, when my core really needs me to be true to my artistic nature. Whatever that looks like.
There's nothing wrong with playing in front of family and friends. You probably won't change the world, but that's okay for some people. Me, I'm not looking to change the world. I am looking to pierce hearts - not every heart, because some are too hard for me, but hearts of strangers. I want someone to love my work not because they love me, but because it speaks to them. I have so many people in my life who support what I do, but my safe haven is too much so. The world is there for me to wander into.
I'm coming back, slowly. I'm coming. Please wait for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment