...and humble beginnings...
Happy Sunday. I’ve had a thought forefront on my mind for the past few days, which, if I had to sum up in one sentence, would go something like the age-old maxim, quality over quantity.
Regular readers of this blog will know I write about beginnings a lot, and how there’s never a better time than now to start something. In fact, the first proper essay shared a few years ago was titled Do The Thing, which is meta in its own kind of way.
In the three years since that essay, I’ve gone on to write a few more posts about overcoming the initial hurdle of starting, keeping the momentum going in the early days, and persevering in the face of challenges.
Perhaps the reason I tend to write things on this subject is because a lot of my essays are notes to self. I write these things to remind myself that writing, making music, being creative in whatever form, is intrinsically worth doing.
While I was thinking about this, I came across an interview with one of my favourite stand up comedians, Josh Johnson, who, when asked whether he has any advice for people starting out on their creative journey, articulated my thoughts much better than I’ve been able to…
“Whatever you’re making, make sure you're making it for the first 100 people forever…because numbers start to really distract…numbers can be fun goals, but behind those numbers are people, so if you’re still making things with the level of intention, attention and sincerity that you made it for those 98 people when you thought it would be 0, the product you make down the line would still be unique and good…” – Josh Johnson
You can find the full interview here (the part I got the quote from starts at around 1 hour and 23 minutes in).
I experienced a real-life manifestation of this a few days ago. I went out and played a gig, as I do a couple of times a week. It was in a cosy venue, the setting was intimate, the people were lovely and there were immaculate vibes all around. I approached it like I approach every performance, with the aim to have fun, to enjoy myself, and do right by the audience, but I didn’t give it much thought afterwards.
As it happens, while strolling by the canal the next day, a woman approached me. I didn’t recognise her at first, but I spotted the dog on a leash in front of her and remembered there was someone with a similar dog in the audience the night before. She told me how much she enjoyed the performance, and how it had stayed with her, and that she was glad to run into me as she had to leave the venue shortly after my performance (to tend to her dog’s needs) and thus didn’t get the chance to talk to me.
I came away from that encounter with renewed gratitude that I have a platform, however small, to go out and share my music and art, and that there are lovely spaces around that make all this possible. And the promise I make to myself everyday is to not take this for granted, to give my best performance, regardless of whether I’m playing to two people, or twenty people, or two hundred people. Because at the end of the day, the size of an artist’s audience and how far along they are in their creative journey shouldn’t have any bearing on how much effort they put into their craft, and their performance.
My new album, Hope on the Horizon, is out everywhere now. Not a fan of streaming and want to support my music? You can download a digital version or buy a CD now here. Thank you for listening, spreading the word, and reaching out to share your thoughts. I appreciate it. Have a great week.