Getting deep: Selling out or selling your soul?

When you create something that other people will read, listen to, taste or touch, it’s always wise to think about your audience, that is if you want to be successful. Feedback and criticism are vital to growing and learning, but when does it become too much? Pandering to your audience can become tiresome and takes away originality. Being well liked as an artist, musician, writer, chef, or other career can be reward, but if the work isn’t your own, it can chip away at your soul.

Many people start out loving something and it quickly turns into a twisted, bizarre version that you’ve have to bend and disfigure as a way to make money. The American dream if all about having the freedom to find something you love. Integrity is often the first character trait shelved once making ends up meet becomes a struggle.

This is why rock stars drink and party and do drugs. There is a nagging voice somewhere in their head that has no idea what is going on anymore. The voice will wonder “Where is the music that used to be played in my best friend’s garage?” “Why do all my songs sound like Fall Out Boy, or Britney Spears?”

Is there a way to be truly successful without selling out?

When a rock star makes it big, the challenges that motivated them are gone leaving behind a  bored, rich shell of a musician. It’s the recipe for college kids too. Freedom, plus ego, plus money equals drunken frat party lifestyle, but I digress.

Everyone evolves.  No artist’s first album will sound the same as their fifth.  Artists change their style over time.  Writers change their style as time goes on.  The danger is in the why.  Why are you changing your style?  If its to please others, its not worth it.  Even if you make a lot of money, its not worth the emptiness inside.

At some point you have to stop and say “HEY! This isn’t what I wanted to do!” Forget the fans, the money, and the fame. Just do what you wanted to do in the first place. Stop the pandering. Do what makes you happy, not what might make you popular or rich.

Isn’t it better to be happy than obscenely rich?  I hope so.  Stop making every choice based on what others see and think.  Other people suck.  Other people have lame opinions.  Just look at top 40 charts.  Popular opinion is generally worthless.  Don’t you agree?

(Photo: dabawenya)

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