Chasing Success

“Before you won your first job, how did you keep faith that you would succeed?”

I received this question in an email conversation I had recently with a student, who was feeling the completely normal let down following a disappointing audition result.

My response was brief, but I’ll share it here in case it can be helpful to anyone else:

“I honestly never worried about whether I would ‘succeed.’

As best you can, let go of worry about the future. You can’t control it. You could die tomorrow. All orchestras could go bankrupt. You just don’t know. You have something to offer that is uniquely yours. If you find fulfillment in making music and you enjoy the work, then just keep doing the work and making music. Give yourself permission to let go of the need to control your future. Success is just a construct. Be an artist. Be a great person. Take really good care of yourself and the world. Devote your energy into growing and doing your best. Let the chips fall and accept what comes. Remember, it’s a journey. Enjoy the ride!”

I think it’s a shame that we hold certain titles and positions on such pedestals, as if that is the only way to “make it” as a musician and prove one’s worth. There are plenty of ways to make a living as a musician in this world. And I don’t consider anyone less of an artist based on the main source of their paycheck. What this world needs is people who are fully alive, doing what they love. As the professor Joseph Campbell told his students , “follow your bliss.”

It’s not an easy assignment, because it requires risk-taking and vulnerability, but I believe that when discipline and passion meet openness and surrender, we can achieve our true potential.