The Artist For Hire

Dec 10

Written By Ed Stevens (New Classical Design)

Delusion, pretension, selfishness, entitlement…these are traits of a darker side of artistic expression. However, many of these traits can often be necessary to help overcome the crippling self-doubt and fear that coincides with being a performer. So where is the balance? Do we as performers embrace these evils at the expense of those around us in order to “serve the art?” Are we in fact doing anyone a favor by allowing these demons to dictate our approach to music? Why am I waxing philosophical on a Friday in December? I explore some of these questions in this week’s blog post.

First, let’s start with a bit of a pet peeve of mine, because what good is having a blog if you can’t vent every now and then?

Eyes wide open

When I watch others perform something that I see all too often is this phenomenon of closing your eyes while playing. Some do it as a means of concentration, especially if the piece is being played from memory. It helps if you visualize the page in order to make sure you don’t have the dreaded memory slip. However, once you get past that obstacle many still seem to do it for the purposes of “feeling the music.” That by closing your eyes you are able to draw some sort of intimate connection between you and the composer that transcends all blah, blah, blah…

Here is where I might lose some friends by saying this:

Its a selfish gesture.

If you are practicing by yourself in a room with no one listening by all means close away, but if you close your eyes while trying to communicate something during a performance? You are robbing the listener of an important tool of communication - the most expressive part of your face! Think of the opera singer - how often do they sing an aria with their eyes closed? Think of a professional actor - are they closing their eyes while delivering their monologues or while in dialogue with another actor? Don’t shut out your audience, engage with them, after all they are why you are there.

The role of an artist

So why am I harping on this all too frequent trend of classical performance? Because I think in some small way it represents an attitude of superiority that we performers carry between us and the people who are making the effort to come to our performances. And this separation, this barrier, has created more problems for us than it has solved.

Musicians, particularly classical musicians, tend to buy into this fantasy that they are misunderstood, or under-appreciated. While there may be some arguments to support this we tend to lose site of the most important aspect of playing music - that its not really about us is it? Musicians are a service provider, we are there to offer someone an escape, to lift them up, or to enlighten them. To serve as a conduit for the music. That being said there is a lot of the individual performer that goes in to that performance and you don’t want to rob people of that important element by keeping it all to yourself.

Think of the plumber

You call the plumber to fix a problem. They show up, and hopefully get the job done after you explain the issue. Now what if the plumber didn’t communicate, didn’t tell you how they were going to fix the problem, heck didn’t even say “hello, how are you” when they first entered your home? Sure, they may fix your pipes but your experience will be negative, cold, and cut-off. You probably won’t want to hire that plumber again. Same goes for musical performances, you may have played every note perfectly and even played con passione! But what good was it if your audience didn’t connect with you because you were there keeping it all to yourself?

I think this is ultimately my point, musicians can accomplish a lot for themselves and for building their audience by always being mindful of their clients. They can do quite a bit to further their success by realizing they are providing a useful and valuable service and should engage with their audience in whatever way is possible. I find this mindset is also helpful when dealing with those other voices that get in the way of our confidence. “What if I am not good enough, what if they don’t like me!” Well, its not about you, so get over it and get the job done! (insert swift kick to the pants here).

Thanks for the lecture Ed, but what does this have to do with websites?

Probably not that much, again I don’t want this blog to be just about websites but ultimately about the process of shaping musical careers as a whole. But maybe there is a connection. An online presence can be a tool to open your eyes and communicate with your audience. To share with them about the service you are providing, to show them the process of how you prepare your music and why its worth their time. You might not be able to connect and engage with everyone in the performance hall but you have additional chances through posting your own videos and blog content, inviting people to your performances by building an email list, or even just allowing people a way to get in contact with you.

But regardless of where you go next, if you think of yourself as providing that service and operating yourself as a business then maybe you wont’ need to rely as much on delusions of grandeur to sell yourself as a performer in this day and age. A little bit of authenticity can go a long way in establishing trust and a loyal customer base.