Musicians (like most other artists) thrive most in a community. I know a few exceptions, those individuals that venture out into the woods and return with groundbreaking gold (or platinum if the industry deems it so). But I’ve even worked with those individuals before, and I think they’d agree that their songs were enhanced by the secondary input of other artists around them. The people that you surround yourself with, whether it be because of similar artistic view or general kinship, are actually very influential and important in your own artistic career. New York City has an amazingly large, yet somehow very small, network of musicians and artists. New strands of silk are constantly being woven into the city’s artistic web, every night out in bars, clubs, and on the streets of places like the LES, Williamsburg, East Village, and Bushwick. I was recently speaking with a real inspiring player who currently lives out in the NJ. He was telling a frustrated tale of looking for work, but moreover looking for new opportunities with new people. I tried to tell him of the completely random, yet very meaningful friends and connections I’ve made by just being a miniscule part of the arts community in New York. I encouraged him to make a move into the heart of the community if he could, or at least to make a concerted effort to put himself in situations where he is seen and heard in the community.
Maybe this is all overly romanticized or I’ve completely lost sight of my own world (I’d believe both of these claims). But regardless of the truth or worth of my statements, I respect beyond belief those that are engrossed in this wonderful artistic community here in New York. The individuals I work with shape my concept of art as well as instill hope that there is a life to be had in the creation of music and art. Sometimes it feels like you’re merely stepping into an impossibly difficult situation. At those times of impossibility, I try to keep sight of the individuals of which I have the great pleasure of working with and calling friends and collaborators.
Musicians (like most other artists) thrive most in a community. I know a few exceptions, those individuals that venture out into the woods and return with groundbreaking gold (or platinum if the industry deems it so). But I’ve even worked with those individuals before, and I think they’d agree that their songs were enhanced by the secondary input of other artists around them. The people that you surround yourself with, whether it be because of similar artistic view or general kinship, are actually very influential and important in your own artistic career. New York City has an amazingly large, yet somehow very small, network of musicians and artists. New strands of silk are constantly being woven into the city’s artistic web, every night out in bars, clubs, and on the streets of places like the LES, Williamsburg, East Village, and Bushwick. I was recently speaking with a real inspiring player who currently lives out in the NJ. He was telling a frustrated tale of looking for work, but moreover looking for new opportunities with new people. I tried to tell him of the completely random, yet very meaningful friends and connections I’ve made by just being a miniscule part of the arts community in New York. I encouraged him to make a move into the heart of the community if he could, or at least to make a concerted effort to put himself in situations where he is seen and heard in the community.
Maybe this is all overly romanticized or I’ve completely lost sight of my own world (I’d believe both of these claims). But regardless of the truth or worth of my statements, I respect beyond belief those that are engrossed in this wonderful artistic community here in New York. The individuals I work with shape my concept of art as well as instill hope that there is a life to be had in the creation of music and art. Sometimes it feels like you’re merely stepping into an impossibly difficult situation. At those times of impossibility, I try to keep sight of the individuals of which I have the great pleasure of working with and calling friends and collaborators.
