Finding fulfilment
Lifelong learning is a wondrous inclination to commit to. In my less clued up days as emerging artist, I struggled with the demands of dealing with colleagues who had ostensibly similar ambitions, but very different views of how to get things done. Many years of trial and error, plus new developments in the fields of endeavour have taken me to point where I can combine doing the work I love with finding some fulfilment in the process of collaboration.
At the heart of the journey is the notion of minding one’s own business. If an individual manages to invest the right amount of energy and dedication into honing his or her craft, then the main thing that remains is to have a sense of occasion about the most suitable settings for presenting the fruits of his or her labour.
Back in the day, musicians of African and Caribbean heritage in the UK complained about how they felt exploited by the record business. There were one or two artists from those backgrounds even in those days who understood how to be self sufficient, but the majority waited to be picked and were used and in many cases discarded accordingly.
Can lessons can be learnt and processed well enough for the habits of a lifetime to change? Sometimes one falls off the wagon, possibly when one is distracted by shiny baubles that promise short term gratification.
Each individual’s pot of gold can be found eventually on the path of self reliance, I would like to believe…
