I ran across an essay on a favorite commentator's site the other day. This commentator was elaborating on the value of belonging to a community of craftsmen and he pointed to the last three paragraphs of this transcripted speech by C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia, etc.) given a number of years ago. It is of particular interest to me as a songwriter.The essence of the message is this. Many of us want to be stars, to have notoriety -- to be in with the "in" crowd.
Problem -- the pursuit of fame, fortune or notoriety can take you places in your life that you never really wanted to go, effectively robbing you of what you wanted to begin with.
Solution -- if you focus on excellence in your craft, doing great work, you will eventually find yourself surrounded by others who are excellent in that craft. You will find yourself in the "in" crowd for that craft almost by accident, because the great ones know who each other are and they seek to be together.
I always remind myself at my day job that it's about the work, not about the title. The same applies in the songwriting craft. Excellent work is what it's all about. If that is there, the rest will take care of itself.
Problem -- the pursuit of fame, fortune or notoriety can take you places in your life that you never really wanted to go, effectively robbing you of what you wanted to begin with.
Solution -- if you focus on excellence in your craft, doing great work, you will eventually find yourself surrounded by others who are excellent in that craft. You will find yourself in the "in" crowd for that craft almost by accident, because the great ones know who each other are and they seek to be together.
I always remind myself at my day job that it's about the work, not about the title. The same applies in the songwriting craft. Excellent work is what it's all about. If that is there, the rest will take care of itself.
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