Remember when you were in fifth grade, and you went to school to give out invitations to your birthday party? If you were like me, your party was some sort of heavy sports theme consisting of batting cages, laser tag, bumper cars, and invitations shaped like baseballs.
Remember when you showed up to school to give those invited out to all your closest friends, only to discover that Billy was giving out his invites on the exact same day. To make matters worse, his party turned out to be on Saturday too, at the exact same time as yours. His invitations look cooler. The bleached tips in his hair looks a lot more natural than yours. No doubt his waterpark party is going to put your silly baseball theme to shame. You inevitably begin to ask the same question that every artist asks herself every day, "What if I throw a party and nobody comes?"
What if I play a gig, and the house is empty?
What if I start my blog, and nobody reads it?
What if I tell her how I feel, and she rejects me?
Living the vulnerable life of an artist means that we are constantly throwing some sort of party. We consistently put ourselves out there. Daily, we leap off the proverbial stage, and hope to God there will be a crowd there willing to support us as we surf over the top of them. Sometimes that crowd will be there and you're party will be a massive success. But I also have to warn you that sometimes the crowd won't be there to catch you because they all chose Billy's party instead.
We cannot control who does or does not show up to our party. The only thing we can do is give out as many invitations as possible, and throw the best party we can with whoever cares enough to show up. If that means only you for a while, then look at the bright side, more cake for you!
Remember when you showed up to school to give those invited out to all your closest friends, only to discover that Billy was giving out his invites on the exact same day. To make matters worse, his party turned out to be on Saturday too, at the exact same time as yours. His invitations look cooler. The bleached tips in his hair looks a lot more natural than yours. No doubt his waterpark party is going to put your silly baseball theme to shame. You inevitably begin to ask the same question that every artist asks herself every day, "What if I throw a party and nobody comes?"
What if I play a gig, and the house is empty?
What if I start my blog, and nobody reads it?
What if I tell her how I feel, and she rejects me?
Living the vulnerable life of an artist means that we are constantly throwing some sort of party. We consistently put ourselves out there. Daily, we leap off the proverbial stage, and hope to God there will be a crowd there willing to support us as we surf over the top of them. Sometimes that crowd will be there and you're party will be a massive success. But I also have to warn you that sometimes the crowd won't be there to catch you because they all chose Billy's party instead.
We cannot control who does or does not show up to our party. The only thing we can do is give out as many invitations as possible, and throw the best party we can with whoever cares enough to show up. If that means only you for a while, then look at the bright side, more cake for you!
