----- Original Message ----- From: "Anthony Smith"
Everything in life is competition and music is no exception. Each and every
musician is competing against every other musician for the consumers time
and money. Everything has an "opportunity cost" associated with it. By
choosing a PB sandwich, you forgo eating a roast beef sandwich. By choosing
"this", you forgo choosing "that" and that is the point here.
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I have chosen to live in a different way. I live in a Universe full of abundance. There is more than enough to go around.
For example: Some people have recently on this list expressed that they do not particularly get enthusiastic about Jason Ricci's playing.
However, his shows always have plenty of people in the audience. There is an abundance of people who do like what he does and are enthusiastic about it. I enjoy watching him play, and even more appreciate his acknowledgement of the fans as an integral part of the process. There is no lack or need in his world. Only abundance. He is not competing, no matter how much his supporters or detractors try and fuel the debate. He just writes and plays. And gigs.
The competition is only within ones self, to try and bring yourself greater satisfaction and happiness.
Once I was driven to be "better" than the other guy. That's a losing game. We are all magnificent! Each of us just have a different angled light to share.
When I stopped trying to be what others expected, or wanted me to be, or what I thought they wanted, and I just focused on what got me jazzed up and able to communicate, everything changed. I got Zen, or something. And people started getting the message. I became better able to just communicate. And that's enough. Actually, it's everything.
I realized that writing and playing for the satisfaction of creating was all that matters. And when I stopped caring whether anybody else "got it" and communicated first to myself, and second to my musical partners, that communication path opened up like never before. And the audience understood.
People came up to me after playing and told me how much they liked the "new" me. I even have people coming up and saying they enjoyed something I did many months ago.
And that was never possible when I was in a "competition" for some other external thing. I only try to be better for ME. And that is mostly done when practicing or woodshedding. When I play for others these days, I stay within myself and don't push things. I just let it go and give it all away by not thinking about it. If I communicate and they get it and take some home with them, that's even better. But that has no bearing whether I am happy with my performance or not.
Sometimes I don't give as fine a performance that I know I am capable of. But that's life. I acknowledge my humanity to myself and move on. Being human means that every now and then you suck. Such is life. Even a sucky performance has some cool moments, and sometimes it's the boo-boos that upon later reflection are the coolest.
Being in a constant competition is a self-imposed stress maker. I choose to do music the other way. Stress Kills!
Life is meant to be fun.
PEACE Splash
"When yer havin' fun, winnin' takes care of itself." - Satchell Page
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