Our quest for popularity

That was spoken by the legendary rock music producer Rick Rubin, about his new book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. 

That resonates with me because I’ve never been capable of creating something for the purpose of it being popular with, as Rubin labels it, the faceless masses. That’s a good thing for me I suppose since I play trombone (“Do they even make those any more?”) and I enjoy crafting eclectic sonic  soundscapes under curious visuals!

I’ve lately had a conversation with several people that goes something like this: I think the music I’m putting out there is really good but it is NOT catching fire the way I expect/want it to. Some of these players are bothered by their lack of popularity and others are at peace with the size of their small but enthusiastic audience. I fall into the latter category.

If you ponder this for yourself, into which category do you fall? I hope you are at peace with the size and return on your particular audience but I think that most are not. In the comments below, I’d really like to hear from you on this.

Show me the money

Yes, life requires money. And unless you are a trust fund baby, money requires earning it in some capacity. But in making that living, is your focus on maximizing income or is it in maximizing the satisfaction you receive from your art–performing, teaching, producing, painting, writing, recording, etc.?” Rubin contends that your best chance for success comes from pleasing yourself first.

I recently heard a moderately well-known Hollywood actor reflect on finally making the money he always wanted, but now at this point in his life, he’s never been less happy/satisfied. How did this come to be? Did he accept roles mainly for the money or for the dreamed-of popularity? (He actually said something like, “I’m now less interested in being alive.”) I don’t know, but his decisions somewhere along his career were not likely motivated by his fundamental core values.

“But Mike, I didn’t become a musician in order to get rich–like that actor did.” No, but are your career  choices geared in some fundamental way toward dollars or some other currency like social likes, views, followers, or fame? Those things aren’t bad as a result of your authentic art, they are only if they are the primary motivation to get out of bed every morning and work hard. Think about your underlying motivation. How is that steering your artistic efforts or career choices?