I’m a keen musician and have been since I was 12 years old. I gave up music around the year 2000 due to ‘hobby-burnout’ as I like to call it. Spending too much time on your hobby can kind of kill it, and I’ve advocated for a long time now, that all of us should take a step back, or a break away from our photography once in a while. Or better still, adopt a second hobby / interest.
In 2006, I returned to music. I think in retrospect, it was because I needed a step back from my photography. It is my calling I feel. More than a job, something that is at the core of myself. But when one is running workshops and tours all year, things can become a bit one-dimensional. I am glad I found music again as it has allowed me to take breaks away from my photography.
Whatever creative endeavour I get into, I have noticed I can get rather serious about it quickly. I have never been someone to do something half-hearted, and if I have, I often give up because I know my heart isn’t into it. When I find something that I am passionate about, I tend to become consumed by it.
In 2016 I started playing around with some instrumentals. In 2020 I got together with my vocalist friend and in the space of about a week he put vocals to an album we published on Bandcamp. I’ve now spent the past four and a half years working on a second album. One I’m very pleased with and feel it’s a step up in production values from our first effort in 2020.
This week I released the first track from the album, and for the most part, when I emailed everyone whom I thought would be interested, I got the well-meaning ‘cool’ or ‘i’ll listen to it later’ replies.
Few listened. I shouldn’t have been surprised at this but I was.
If you think it’s hard to get folks interested in your photography, then consider that with music it’s even harder. Firstly, with photography it takes seconds to glance at someone’s work and get an idea of what you’re looking at, and whether it’s any good. With music, it’s even worse because you need anyone who is going to listen to it, to actually put time aside to listen for a few minutes. Additionally, I think folks have to be in the right mood to listen to different kinds of music, and I have personally found that I need to find my own time and space to get into something. Or I need to discover the music in my own time.
I should really take my own advice on this one. I have said for years that when you do your photography - you do it for you. That is the truth of it. There is no one else out there who is more interested in your work than you.
Showing your work to friends and family is kind of pointless because they probably just won’t get it. They aren’t photographers, and will mostly just be happy that you’re happy. If you do feel you need to find an audience, then I think it’s pretty much like my post from yesterday - it’s not an audience you need. It’s a community.
For myself, I work pretty much alone on my music. My friend gets involved when I ask him for vocal ideas, but I am aware that I would like to branch out and meet other musicians. Find a community of sorts. Others that are interested in music, music production.
I started to do that back in February this year by meeting up with the Icelandic composer Mikael Lind. We met in a coffee shop as he kindly accepted my invitation to meet up. I love his ambient music - particularly ‘Intentions and Variations’.
And I felt connected. I felt an itch was being scratched. It was nice to meet someone who is producing music I’m interested in, and to find that he has similar thoughts about music production like I do.
I hope to meet up with Mikael again another time I return to Iceland, and right now, I’m enjoying very much sending him what I’ve been working on.
I made my album for myself. I got a lot of deep contentment out of making something I feel is professional sounding. I will continue to keep writing because I enjoy it, and because I don’t think I could stop anyway.
But I realise now, that I need a community, or a network of other musicians.
Somehow, it is important to me.