I
have to admit I have a problem with holding on or "song stashing" my
material. I used to worry that if I saved it too long that it may
become irrelevant, at the same time nobody wants to release something
to the masses before it has been given a chance to reach its full
potential. This was all before I discovered a philosophy that stated,
“No artist ever finishes their work, it is merely abandoned”. I’m not
sure if that’s the exact quote I heard or who actually said it, but the
theory has always stuck with me.
Abandon.
The term is attached to a negativity that not even the most seemingly
dismal artist would want to have associated with anything they wished
to call (and have others call) their masterpiece. How can you know when
its time, that it will be okay, to abandon something you’ve been
molding? Is it when you show it to another person and they approve? Is
it when that last addition seemed to take away from the overall feel or
original goal? Is it when someone cuts you a check? Many of us, for
better or worse, call it a day when the ladder situation occurs.
Their
has been times in my career where I have sold my material and granted
an exclusive or conditional license, where I have promised not to let
my composition be used by another artist. It has only happened to me
once so far where I heard my song, and didn’t feel it lived up to its
full potential. I had to realize that it wasn't entirely MINE anymore.
It is also a struggle when you are an artist yourself and are forced to
sell off your beats to the highest bidder even though you want the
track for yourself. But “That’s how it is, when you into this sh*t!”
But
the question is, how do you know when its ready? How can I tell if I’m
ready to inspire another artist into writing a song or how do I know
that I’ve written a song that will generate any response for any other
living soul on this planet? Truth is you may never know. You may have
to be dragged away kicking and screaming before you admit that any
creative process of your life is over and final! You may reach a level
where you have a great ear and think you can trust yourself, but my
advice is no matter how confident you feel about any idea it PAYS to
bounce it off, at least, a few peers.
For
me I know its time when I cannot help but share my latest creation with
people and get feedback. I'm excited about what I have and I have no
anxiety to put it out there. To me a song is a vision, but as a creator
it’s easy to see a beauty within your creation that is intangible to
everyone else. An artist working with a producer has the advantage of
using the producer as a conduit of taking his vision and making it into
something tangible. I guess artists who produce themselves take a risk
of being blinded by their own creation.
Confused?
Me too! I think in the end, success comes when preparation meets timing
(some folks would insert luck here, but fu*k luck). You’re going to
need to do a mix of “song stashing” and releasing. Releasing your work
will help you get feedback and attract people to your game, on the
other hand no one is going to want to buy beats off an unknown that
aren’t the freshest of the fresh! I mean if a tree falls in the woods…