Nobody needs artists...but everybody needs artists

We live in a world of judgement, and needing things now.

We live in a world that demands high quality, with little exception. 

That being said, creating art is not easy.  And to do it to a professional level, can be daunting. 

It is one thing to be a successfully creative and expressive person, but it is another thing all together when you have an audience scrutinizing you.  

I am coming from the point of view of the composer, and the music producer in me.  

Let's say I spend weeks writing a song, making sure it sounds perfect; going away and coming back with fresh ears, testing it on my friends who know my music, mulling over the lyrics, etc.

When I finish it and show it to someone who is unaware of this arduous creation process, my work gets judged in an instant.  Something that is so important to me, that took me time, effort, and lots of hard thinking, has been minimized to a simple, "it's ok", or "the drums should go like this instead!".

This is completely understandable to me, although I wish it weren't the case; as someone who loves music, I typically am aware of if I like a song or not within the first 10-30 seconds of hearing it.  

My point is, there is a plethora of art of all kinds out there, that falls on deaf ears or blind eyes.  

Art that isn't on anyone's radar, that only has a very niche audience.  This is what is daunting about creating and being an artist.  Purely based on odds/statistics, there are so many people out there who would simply rather see something else.  I would actually argue that there are more people out there who won't like your work than will.  This is not meant to be discouraging by any means, as I have zero intentions of changing my ways or my path.  

It is important to maintain a level head, to realize that this takes time; time to develop yourself, and your audience.  Trial and error are huge, so don't be afraid to fail.

Here is a link to a show called the Defiant ones.  This show explores the workflow and motivations of the most successful entrepreneurs in the music business.  They talk about the struggles they've overcome, and the monumental feats they've achieved.  Motivational stuff here!

https://www.hbo.com/the-defiant-ones/episodes/part-1

(HBO subscription not included, sorry!)