Internal motivation and self-direction in artists

I am a subscriber to Netflix and as much as I like the service, I find it harder and harder to watch anything other than documentaries or stand up comedy. I try to watch dramas and I see people just being mean to each other. And each time I see that, I think, "Wow. Instead of killing that guy, maybe you could have worked something out."

So I've been getting into documentaries, and lately it's music documentaries. I saw one on the Beatles, "It Was 50 Years Ago Today", and the other last night, on the Foo Fighers, "Foo Fighters: Back and Forth". In both examples, I saw musicians totally consumed with the art of making music.

Sure, they made it for their fans, but they were internally motivated to make the music. In both examples we are treated to knowledge about their songwriting process: How they come up with ideas, how they write them down and then turn them into songs.

When a songwriter such as Paul McCartney or Dave Grohl work on a song, they are creating something for their own personal satisfaction first. I heard that in so many words from both of them. "Is this something I would want to listen to?" That is the question posed by both in their interviews, even though they are quite aware of the expectations of their fans.

I have a great deal of admiration for musicians who write their own music and perform it. Doesn't really matter how successful they are to me. I used to frequent a coffee shop to listen to local acts there and I found some great acts, and bought some great "vanity" CDs while I was there. I take it in where I can get it.

This self-direction, this sense of purpose, is what I find so interesting about artists. They harbor no ulterior motive. All motives point to the craft. Whether they be actors, musicians, writers, or what have you, they are all dedicated.

I consider myself to be a writer. I love to write and I have no plans to ever stop writing. I consider writing my first purpose of the day. Everything else is secondary. I write to empty my mind of all that is on it. I write to explore new ideas and concepts. When I feel like it is something I want to share, I write it here.

I even make a point of writing on an empty mind, before I've had any other experiences during the day. Before social media, before talking to anyone else. I try to see if I can just conjure up something from the air. I allow the Great Creator to collaborate with me to create something, anything, that may be of value.

I don't worry if other people will like it. I write it and share it to see if other people will like it. If they don't, well, I don't take that personally, for I have no control over them. But when I'm done, I've said everything that I needed to say for the moment. I expect no replies, but I take joy in reading any that come my way. I acknowledge them when I find them.

The Beatles and the Foo Fighters are just two examples of artists, that seem to me, to genuinely care about the quality of their work. They share it without worry if someone will like it.

Dave Grohl even said that the true test of a song is how it plays in a club, not in a stadium. He liked the feedback he got from the smaller crowds. John Lennon and Paul McCartney decided to stop touring because they could not even hear their own music over the screaming. They wanted the feedback. They wanted to know if their fans liked their music. They wanted to know if they sounded good.

But what I really liked about McCartney and Grohl, is that they keep making music regardless if other people will like it or not. They know that there are so many people on the planet, someone out there will like it. They know that they will have enjoyed the experience of making the music long before anyone else has had a chance to hear it.

This is how I am with writing. I enjoy the process of writing enough, that it doesn't really matter to me if anyone likes while I'm writing it. I'm not thinking about that. I am thinking to myself, "Is this something that I would want to read?" And if it is, I post it. Here.