Real talk time, and none of the Willy Wonka sugar-coating that goes with it either. Being an independent musician or artist in this day and age sucks. It absolutely sucks, and if I had it to do again, to be honest I probably wouldn't. It's a very difficult task in this crappy day and age to attempt to punch through a dark, culturally murky planet and keep the positivity required to create. To write, to sing, to draw, to paint, to create, to manifest, all of these things take a ton of courage, optimism and energy that is hard to manifest and it's difficult to keep that kind of momentum up with everything going on today.
I recorded an album over a period of 5 years when I wanted nothing more than to give people (and myself) some happiness, and to share the happiness that music gives me with my fellow musician friends and the world. The response of course didn't turn out quite how I would have liked. It's a difficult task to garner an audience in a major city when you're an unknown singing upbeat, hoppy melodies with extensive saxophone solos.
It's my music, and I truly love it I'm just not convinced that others share my opinion. There's long been a conversation since the beginning of the craft (any craft surely) as to whether art exists without an audience. There is always the strongly held opinion that you make art for yourself and if anyone else enjoys it than that's icing on the cake, however in today's economy I find that take rather classist and myopic.
Of course you want and need people to enjoy your art, otherwise why not just pluck your little guitar in your bedroom or hang your coloured canvases in your painting in your sacred spaces and never share them with anyone? Art is yours until you share it, then it has a chance to belong to everyone. So YES, every artist wants an audience. I just hope one day I find mine.
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