When I was in school, I had a slew of teachers, retired performers, and general busybodies tell me some version of, “if you can imagine yourself being happy doing ANYTHING ELSE…” (their eyes would always get really wide when they said anything else, and often there was wild gesticulating for additional emphasis) “…then you should absolutely do it.” In my time, there was probably no school of music in America where these words were not uttered on a regular basis.
The subtext I gleaned from this durable adage is: this career is a torturous maze, and it will abuse and exhaust you, but if you are a true artist, you won’t be able to resist making art even though it will be painful and might keep you from doing things that really matter to you. And, consequently: if things don’t turn out in a way that makes you happy, then you have only yourself to blame.
Is that what you heard too, or was it just me?
I get where these teachers, mentors, and meddlers are coming from. It’s true that an artist’s life is often not an easy one. Now that I am teaching, I understand the desire to protect the next generation from jumping in without understanding the real risks of a life in art-making. It’s undeniable: sacrifice is involved. Dedication and focus are absolutely required…but the enter-at-your-own-risk vibe smacks more of imprisonment than of dedication.
What I tell my students, instead, is “this business is so hard, that if you don’t enjoy the act of making your art, the effort will never be worth it.”
The subtext I hope my students hear is you can choose to protect your happiness. And, consequently: prioritizing your own artistic gratification is an important part of successful and durable artistry.
The life of an artist IS a maze – but whether it’s torturous or not depends entirely on the boundaries we set for ourselves.
Image by Tung Lam from Pixabay
