I'm not a fan of facile or of spoon feeding when it comes to knowledge, wisdom and experience. I don't think they have meaning if they aren't earned. Yet people cry out for these things, like they're items on a fast food menu. I understand that but I don't think anything good comes easily. So what am I on about this time? I'm telling you how you can have anything you want. It's actually simple.
There is a price for everything. It's sacrifice. It's time. It's energy. It's belief. It's perseverance.
That's it. Really.
When I was making a living on stage, in the studio and teaching, the one thing I heard most often was, "How do I get good?" You play. You practice when you can, you take gigs, you make a metric ton of mistakes na you don't quit. It's not about getting paid for everything you do or being perfect, it's about working, learning and doing it. That's all. Honest.
You can be rich, famous, popular or just about anything you want but you have to pay a price. You will give up something to get what you want.
But what about people who were born rich? Someone made that money. Or stole it. And if you think people who are rich have it easy, think again. They may not have to worry about their bills, but they are paying for things you can't imagine. I took a ride in the vehicle of someone with more money thanI could imagine. It was explained to me that the vehicle was bullet proof and could withstand a landmine going off beneath it. When I asked why I was told that the number of death threats that came to the family in a year was dizzying and that attempts had been made to kidnap the children. Repeatedly.
I've met people who are famous and I have listened to people talk about the famous. I've heard all kinds of things. Seen them, too. What kind of price is there for fame? Privacy, for one. Can you imagine what it must be like to have people trying to photograph or interrupt your most private moments, the most special and precious ones? Being followed to the supermarket or seeing your photo as you walk into the doctor's office on the cover of a tabloid? How about the photos you took for your partner? Imagine how many times in a day you would have to overhear the people around you talking and whispering about you.
This is not me preaching. I've made my choices and just like anyone else, they've cost me. Do I regret them? Hell, no. Do I envy others their talent or their wealth? Probably in fleeting moments, but at the end of the day it's not important. I count among my friends some incredible artists, some of the best in the world. I am lucky to be inspired by them but even more lucky that I get to know them as people. Why? Because they people who have worked hard and earned what they have, who touch others' lives with what they do, are remarkable humans. It doesn't mean they aren't tormented. It doesn't mean their lives are easy. It means they made choices and followed through on them.
I was with someone once who rarely got angry. In one of our rare arguments she spat out, "Your job is playing. How hard can it be?"
Ignoring the decades of practicing music for 8 hours or more a day, the unpaid or underpaid gigs and dedication to the craft had costing most every meaningful relationship in a musician's life, there are things a musician deals with daily that people on the outside don't see. Ever imagined a day on tour? Sleeping a few hours on a floor after a sweaty gig, to climb into a van with a a bunch of zombies, driving hours to get to somewhere only to be seen as a freak, loading gear, dealing with the politics of the venue and the area, waiting for hours and hours to play a few hours, then loading the gear again and hoping there's a bed waiting before those few hours of sleep.
This is not griping. It's a reality. And it's worth it. Traveling, meeting new people and doing what one loves is absolutely worth it. It's not easy and it's not something for everyone, but that's also probably why everyone doesn't do it.
Next time you want to slam a film either for the performance or anything else, check out what a day of shooting actually means. It's waking before dawn and being ready to go for 14 or more hours. Have you ever had to be 'on' for that long, every day for weeks or months? Do you know exactly how much is determined in the process of editing a film or what impact the score and lighting have on it? How about the sound design? Did you realize that the funding can be pulled from a film at any time and the shooting may have to stop several times before principle photography is done and the editing can even start?
I'm not trying to garner sympathy for artists. I think everyone who rises to a certain level makes a decision to get there. And of course it's not all about the work. Luck and any number of random factors play into it. But if you want something, you have to go for it. That's all there is to it. People will give you some. Life will place some at your feet. For the most part, you have to go out and get whatever it is you want. Drive will take you so far, but it's continuing to push when drive fails you that makes the difference.
One of my favorite quotes is from Rachel Rosenthal. As part of a discussion about funding for the arts she stated, "Artists don't have a job, they have a calling." I think that's true but I think art can be expanded to any number of things not traditionally viewed that way. I think there is art in engineering, in commerce, in manufacturing and in love. Most who have achieved did it because they had to. Olympians recognized their gifts and those were fostered by others who could see their potential. It is the same with all kinds of people in all fields. But no matter who one is talking about there was a point -- or there were several points -- where it was about having to push when there was no one there to encourage or support. Great things come with success but the road getting there is not easy.
None of this is easy. And it isn't anything anyone has to do. But it's there if you want it. What are you willing to give up to get what you want?
