VLOG 34: What if Success is the Enemy of Creative Freedom?
Most musicians are thinking that if success comes to them, all of their problems will be solved... but is it so?
What if success comes with limitations? You could get boxed in by expectations and business incentives once the money starts coming in.
1,000 true fans offers a mindset where success doesn't need to be so restrictive. Only 1,000 superfans and you can make a good living as a musician.
That theory was rolled out in 2008 and it's still good today.
What do you think?
I think that when you get famous you start to surround yourself with a lot of "yes people". People that always agree with you and always act positive.
These people will lick your back rather than tell you their honest opinion. To get a good creative process you also need negative input. If no one dares to criticize you, then your in trouble.
It's hard to find good honest criticism. Hard to handle it too. The tricky thing is finding someone whose music taste you trust
See your point. Maybe as your ego grows, when you get famous, you loose the ability to take in criticism.
I also think that when you are succesful you are afraid to loose success. And everybody around you will warn you about not loosing it. Record company want to make money, not support artistic needs/ ambitions...
It's really tough! There probably is no one easy answer to it all.
Well, it happens.
People work for a living and some fame, so when something starts working well they stick to it.
Being creative sometimes means that we have to fail trying new things.
Is there risk to being too safe though? What if the audience gets tired of the safe thing and stops paying attention
From my own experience , as a listener, a thing with a music is a little bit tricky. When you catch a likable tune, you kind of stuck with it because it is a complex emotional reaction. So, even if you wrap up a new flavor in the same package, it will pass. Let's say it should be 50/50 in favor to the experimentation.
A lot of recording artists started out edgy and as they became successful their music became predictable, formulaic and lame. It seems to be a natural cycle. Their were a few exceptions like Bowie. The most notable exception were The Beatles who actually became more avant-garde after they became wildly successful. So it is possible.
yea The Beatles are a pretty rare example in that regard. Most bands definitely don't get weirder as they go. Maybe Radiohead is another example..
No matter what profession -- Success just brings a new set of obstacles.
https://twitter.com/DiamondQED/status/886276030406811648
Nathan, from co-schedule, wrote a great piece about trading up problems.
"trading up problems," what a great way to put it :-)
Disclaimer: I am just a bot trying to be helpful.
Nice thought! I feel any change in social status can shake an Individual. Different people handle it differently. I think people with strong principles are generally the ones that handle it well.
This is what principles are all about! Being able to handle difficult or unpredictable things in life... we need principles to do it.