Validation

As Creatives, we often work in a vacuum -- we make our work, toil over it, slave over it, then send it out into the world.  Many of us have our "gatekeepers" -- the agents and publishers and editors who tell us if they like the work or not -- and we do what we can to get these people to like our works, to find enough value in them that they want to publish them or help us get them out to a wider audience.

This is all well and good, but it provides only a momentary dose of validation, that sense that what we're doing is good, and that it -- and, in our weaker moments, we -- matter.  We get that approval from the editor, and then we hear nothing about our work for weeks, months, even years. 

And that's why I like a week like this week.  This was a Royalty Check Week from one of my publishers.  While the monetary part of this is nice, what I really look forward to is the accounting of how many copies of my pieces were purchased.  I know exactly how many copies of which of my pieces were bought, and in some cases, which country they were purchased in (to the three of you in Japan who purchased one of my pieces, domo arigato!).  

It's important to take advantage of times like this when they come.  It's so easy to forget why we do this -- create art -- and that it's not a monologue, but a conversation.  While very selfishly I write my music for myself and my own enjoyment, I'm really writing it to share something with others -- a thought, an emotion, an event.  I write this music to help others deal with pain, or express joy, or find a moment of quiet introspection.

And it's not a monologue, this creative process -- I'm not sitting on high telling people what to play and feel and think and experience.  The very people for whom I write this music in turn tell me -- by means of personal conversations, emails, notes on Facebook, and yes, through which pieces of music they choose to spend their hard-earned dollars on -- which of my pieces resonate with them, which pieces help them the most, give them the most value, or speak the most to their audiences.  In this way, I'm told which of my pieces "work" and which don't.  It's invaluable feedback.

More than that, though, it tells me that what I'm doing is appreciated, that it's useful and meaningful and has a purpose.  As I said at the outset, we so often create our works and throw them out into the world, never knowing if what we did had an impact.  A time like this, for me, is a tremendous validation that I'm doing something that people value, and that I'm on the right track, not just in my composing, but in my life.

So to the many of you who have purchased my music this year, a deeply heart-felt thank you for putting your trust in me and letting me and my creation into your hearts and lives.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the keyboard so I can keep the conversation going.