I’m always intrigued to hear artists and musicians tell their personal stories. With many of them, there is a common thread within their story–a bit of resistance they feel, especially as they get older, usually from family or significant others. The words may vary slightly, but the sentiment behind the words is pretty much the same:
“When are you gonna grow up?”
“When are you going to get a life?”
“When are you going to get a ‘real’ job?”
In the previous post, we began a series called “Finding Your Niche.” We began by talking about how there are so many genuinely talented musicians who are hindered from further success because they don’t have a niche. They sound like thousands of other genuinely talented musicians, and so do not have a distinct voice of their own. Their music does not tell us who they really are.
It’s inevitable; if you’re a songwriter, at some point you’re going to face the dreaded “writer’s block”. You’re going to feel uninspired, you’re going to feel pressured to create something and come up empty-handed. Or would that be “empty-headed?”
Anyhow.
One of my all-time favorite movies is Mr. Holland’s Opus starring Richard Dreyfuss. Please take a few minutes to watch the video clip below. It’s not necessarily the easiest thing to watch, but there’s something Mr. Holland says to the principal that really sums up my personal passion for the arts, why they are important, and why they need to be taught and nurtured.
