“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” 
That’s an old saying and one that I have found to be quite true. I began my journey as a “recording artist” and “songwriter” in 2005. I left the lounge and band scene to do my own stuff. One of the first things that I learned is just how much I still need to learn.
I’m a proud attendee of the school of hard knocks. The most authoritative person could come to me and tell me how something works, but I need to find out for myself regardless. I don’t know why that is. Why do I have to get kicked down on my ass over and over again before I realize that they’re right? Perhaps I should not be so proud to be in this school.
My latest mentor takes it personally. To him it’s a sign of my disrespect and disbelief in him and his experiences. I’ve told him many times, that’s not what it is and that I’ve always been this way and I don’t discrminate – people get this kind of equal treatment from me across the board. I don’t know why I’m like that. I suppose one of the reasons is that I’ve got to “feel” it for myself. I need to “feel” something inside of me in order for it to make sense. Stupid to need to get the shit kicked out of you to understand and accept something on a deep level, but perhaps that’s why I was born under the sign of Taurus the Bull. We all know that there are many walls all throughout our lives that we can bang ourselves up against until we choose to get “it.”
I fully understand also when amatuers meet pros why the pros keep it moving and walk away. There is something that the amatuer is missing; they haven’t gotten something yet.
The more pros I meet, the more I understand that it takes work and effort to do this music thing. Study your craft; there isn’t a magic button that you can push to make your talent instantly appear at the level that you’d like it to be.
I’ve started working out daily. Aerobics. It’s kicking my ass, but I’ve lost eight pounds so far, feel better and I focus on the fact that it’s going to get easier every day.
I drink a gallon of water every day. Sure, you pee a lot, but you feel better. I am taking care of my instrument, which is my body.
I’ve started vocalizing daily versus once a week or so. And the keyboard? I’m on it every day. I still don’t have a good grasp of it yet, but I will stay at it and eventually, bit by bit, things will come together.
I picked up music theory books from the library and I am studying and learning. Previously, I felt that because I was the singer someone else would take care of the music and coach me through any pieces that I was having difficulty with. In my life that’s how it’s always been for me. Vocal coaches were amazed at my range and this big operatic voice that I have and they were willing to help me in anyway that they could. That was beautiful, however, because they did all the work, I didn’t learn anything except that people would make it easy for me. When I began to cross over into the pro ranks, I learned that I need to be able to do this shit for myself. I am expected to at least be able to create a melody to a piece on the keyboard. I need to know what the root is, what key we’re in. I am expected to be able to grab on a piece after listening to it once and be able to have the melody and write the lyrics in minutes.
I like the idea of letting a tune marinate – or listen to it over a period of several days, then creating the melody and the lyrics. Crossing over into the pro ranks means that you can do it quickly because you see the song as part of who you are.
You see, there’s a difference between being an artist and being just a singer. A singer will sing the songs, an artist will be the song. And being an artist means that’s who you are down in the your soul. You are not on the outside of music and creation, you are music and creation. You crave it, can’t live without it because you are it and it is you.
An artist is naturally curious and wants to touch all the instruments to see what they do and they want to bring out the sound from those instruments and create something. When I say create, I really mean channel, or let something flow through you. It’s already there, it exists in the spiritual realm and seeks someone to manifest it on our physical plane. An artist is open enough to the creative spirit that they allow such things to happen.
An amatuer thinks that the music is all about them. They wrote it, they created it, they originated it and they want the glory for having done so. The amatuer wants to count the clicks and tally the counts in order to bring praise to themself. A pro, brings it here, leaves it and is on to the next one. They’re not clinging to their creation and blowing the horn about it. They create and let it be because they understand that their art has a greater purpose that is far beyond them. They understand that the art is to create awareness, give cause for reflection and to serve mankind.
The amatuer doesn’t want to make extensive effort to create. They want it served to them on a platter. They want it to come easy. They will outsource parts of the creation. A pro, as mentioned earlier, is the creation. They embody it. They want to create every portion of it. If there is something they need help with because don’t understand, they will get the help and find a way to develop the understanding. If an artist is to create a sculpture, they won’t have someone else chip away the large pieces and then when the stone is cut into a certain shape, jump in and do all the fine chipping. They will do the entire project from beginning to conception.
I used to sew all the time. I used to make all of my clothes and my children’s clothes. I would go to the fabric store and select my fabric. A part of my creation process was to touch the fabric, feel it, and after my yardage had been cut by the clerk, to pick it up, hold it up and out, then fold it up. There is something about holding and stretching out the entire piece, feeling the fabric in its entirety in my hands. That was part of my creation process. Then I would take the fabric home, lay it out, cut it and sew it. I no longer make clothes, but I enjoy making bags now. I don’t understand why I had the experience of sewing for many years; I don’t understand why that was part of my life process, but I can use it in terms of relating to the creation of music. I would not outsource the cutting of the pattern. Such a thing was unspeakable. Of course, I wanted the joy and the love of laying out the fabric, cutting the pattern out and then sewing it, that was part of the process.
With music, for an artist, it is the same way. If you can’t create all of the music yourself, certainly you would get someone to do it for you, but under your direction. That someone would have to be a person that you can vibe with, a person that you can feel because they have to be able to feel what you are trying to do in terms of this creation. That song is your baby and you can’t wait to get it back into your hands after the pieces have been added to continue to mold it and to shape it. An artist is what he does. That creation is a piece of his soul.
An amatuer is happy to let someone else do all of the music and to come along and add their part on top of it. My latest mentor was appalled when he learned that I thought that was acceptable. I am grateful that because of him, I understand more about being an artist. An artist, a pro, couldn’t possibly see it or do it that way. It can’t be outsourced; it must be manifest through them. It’s like someone painting a picture and then someone else comes along and adds their little painting mess on top of it. Put in other words, it’s like shitting on a brick. The brick is there and you come along and add your little part.
I’d like to say that I’ve graduated from the school of hard knocks, but I know a part of that student is still in me. For amatuers, if you meet a pro, be grateful if that person chooses to spend any amount of time with you and is interested in sharing anything with you. They will help you to expand your palette and guide you onto the path of artistry. You can be all that you were created to be. Get rid of all of the “I can’ts” and the endless stream of excuses that you give yourself.
Recognize your fortune in that you are able-bodied, able-minded and able to do whatever it is you can do. Some people aren’t so fortunate and we never know when God’s going to blow the whistle and tell you to get out of the pool! Cowboy the fuck up and learn. Immerse yourself into your craft, grow and have extreme appreciation that you can.
With love,
- Tomaca
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