Why do we do it?

Create art and make music, that is. I've been reading and really enjoying a blog by a new friend of mine. It's called Before The Lights Come Up and it's written by a fellow music lover, Sam Teichman. Each day, Sam chooses his Lyric of the Day to explore and shares with his readers how that lyric has affected him that day, week, month, year, or throughout his life. In his "Liner Notes" he expresses his wish to "know why and how musicians create what they do. What inspired them to start, how the lyrics are conceived and crafted, the way in which the music comes alive, what they draw from creatively, and especially where they hope the music ends up, in our lives and our souls." If you read my first post here you probably won't be surprised to find out that this is a topic that is fascinating and dear to my heart as well. However, being a musician, as well as a music lover, I'm interested in adding my 2 cents in response to Sam's queries.




For me, at this point in my musical journey, the why is a bit easier to elaborate on than the how, but I'll try to tackle that one too. ;) I can only fully speak for myself, but as these hypotheses apply to musicians in general I'll probably be using "we" in reference to musicians/artists as a collective group. Anyway, why do we do it?



I think art is innate in all of us, but there are those of us who are just born with a need to create. To share our thoughts and emotions with others in a way few things can. It's a need to express, to be heard and most importantly, to connect - with the music, with the universe as a whole, and most importantly, with other people. There is no feeling quite like performing for a live audience, whether it be 1 or hundreds. Even without an audience, just letting the music flow through you is a magical experience when you're in the zone - you know the piece like the back of your hand and it's become pure emotion and energy. Although you may be on your own, there is a feeling of connection to the composer and work you are singing or playing. For those of you who haven't had that experience, it's not unlike seeing live music. You know, when you hear your favorite artist singing your favorite song and it feels like he's singing it just for you, it's sorta like that. For me the rush is almost the same, but when I see someone I really like live, it makes me want to get up on the stage with them or go home and sit down at the piano with my notebooks and start writing, playing, singing, or all of the above.



Which leads me to the how. As more of a performer than a songwriter at this point, I can tell you that while there is a great deal of preparation and skill involved in executing a performance, there are certain aspects of performing that just can't be taught, you either have it or you don't. As with everything, there are levels of intensity and energy of performances, but you'd better have enough to engage the audience. ;) As far as writing goes, I'm still in the early parts of that journey and right now I usually just write when inspiration strikes. Or when new lyrics and/or melodies come into my head and I have to get them down. I really consider it a gift that the melodies just flow sometimes. Now, I have to apply some perseverance and build those new melodies into full songs. I'm still struggling with this part, especially since I had a great partner to work with on my first full tune, but I'll keep trying on my own and bouncing ideas off of my musician friends and eventually I'll get there.



What do we hope our audience gets out of all this? A little joy, perhaps some camaraderie. It's just nice to let people know that someone else has felt the same way you do or had a similar experience. And it's really a symbiotic relationship, as musicians we feed off of their energy, the applause and appreciation of the crowd, letting us know that they get it too.



Please feel free to share your thoughts on the topic. And make sure to check out Before The Lights Come Up too. ;)