So last night I was watching Shark Tank on CNBC. After it ended there was this show called American Greed. The first episode was kind of interesting, but the second episode was about a rap promoter who it turns out was defrauding artists and investors alike to prop up his own lavish lifestyle. The guy was beyond a doubt immoral and unethical, but I don’t want to talk about him. I want to talk about the artists who allowed themselves to be victimized by him and more than that, I want to talk about us.
The promoter in question basically promised he could make anyone a star. The thing is, he can’t. There are only so many people who are the right combination of talented/lucky/blessed/driven enough to become “stars.” If everyone could do it, most everyone would. This guy was promising these people something they should have known was not possible. Here’s the thing, in the arts, there is no easy way and there is no substitute for a little thing called doing the work.
I used to watch American Idol with great interest, but there was always something that bothered me. Did that show produce some bankable stars? Yes absolutely, but it sure felt like skipping a lot of steps. What happened to slogging it out in the little venues, paying your dues and learning to be a performer? These shows seemed to circumvent the process, but they did something that was equally alarming. They seem to have convinced a whole generation that this path is the only way, waiting to be discovered and put on TV. No can I tell you there are a lot of ways to be an artist, that don’t involve making the cut on a TV show and it all comes down to what I preach here. You make the work you love to make and find the people who love it. You get up every day and you do the work. If it doesn’t pay the bills, you find something that does while you keep doing the work. There is no easy way, there is no magic bullet, and be very skeptical of anyone who tells you there is.
I remember the early days of MTV when bands were jettisoning talented people because they didn’t look good on camera. Ask yourself, how far would have Bob Dylan gotten on The Voice? I’m guessing not very far, but he made the music he loved and found a world full of people who loved it. I know one young lady who has auditioned for The Voice a couple of times, She didn’t get through. She is talented beyond belief and if I had the connections, I would sign her in a New York minute. The thing is she doesn’t need me and she doesn’t need The Voice. She’s gotten herself a gig singing in a working band and she is out there night after night singing her heart out and paying her dues. She will get there and she will appreciate it when she does, because she has done the work.
When it all comes down to it, no matter what kind of artist you are, there is no substitute for doing the work.
There is no easy way. Don’t wait to be picked. Hone your craft. Put your work out there. Find your tribe. Do the work!
AMOKArts 