FROM SUSAN NIELAND:
FOR THE MUSICIAN, A TRIBUTE WRITTEN BY SUSAN, OF MYSPACE:
Being a musician is a vocation. Many people pray, but not all are monks. Many people cook, but not all are chefs. Many people paint & draw but not all are artists. Many people make music but not all are musicians.
I've come to believe that there is a part of a person so deep and invisible, so completely unique in it's vocational essence that is the fiber of the tapestry from which the entire person is woven. This tapestry then becomes the base from which all of life is experienced. That person as regards this blog is the musician.
Only from the understanding and self-knowledge that comes from life experience, both painful suffering and unspeakable joy, does the musician fully sink into their purest vocation with a passion unparalleled.
While musicians are born, the musician will grow into their own skin over time. The interior of the musician will at some point feel a rather startling shift in their reasoning's and thought processes about their craft. When that happens, there is a spark that ignites their soul as if nothing else in the world mattered ~ but their being true to themselves and their vocation as a musician.
At this point, the music created, the music yet to be written and performed, the memories, the dreams for the future are lifted up to a real world of understanding that too few people grasp. There becomes a lightning of the talented musician. The sadness, hard-knocks, disappointments, inequities and/or abuses endured in the 'industry' become fuel for their fire. They rise above as if their feet don't touch the ground any longer.
To a certain extent altruism becomes natural for things music and music minded. For the person with a true music vocation this indeed seems to spill out over time. The need to teach. The need to "give away" what they have been gifted with, while precious life is theirs to live. The true need to be heard ~ to bring joy and solace to the weary souls that music feeds and rejuvenates.
All human emotions continue to exist as they do for everyone ~ but now every experience can be brought to the music playing field and is fair game. Anger, joy, frustration, happiness, mystery, love, compassion, death, empathy, birth, jealousy, the darkest moods, the insights and hopes. These become the jewels of humanity placed upon the tapestry of the musicians being.
A most beautiful and stunning cloth now, a warming protective shawl over the mass of humanity to provide true comfort.
The language between musicians that is spoken without words is amazing to witness through collaboration as projects develop. As vision becomes reality. Sometimes the musician becomes the pure gold piece that puts the whole puzzle together for a masterpiece ~ other times the genius work is tossed and scraped like excess useless grout. But the motion of the vocation continues forward, always forward.
To be a musician in a full gift of a music vocation is something the entire world needs to understand and deeply respect. This needs to be pondered more than ever in the fast techno world some of humanity resides in. Electricity only in the last one hundred years. No lights or central heat or flushing toilets & quite suddenly an iPod with thousands of songs smaller than my recently engineered cell phone in my pocket or rooms of the house making big sounds out of seemingly nowhere.
We can deepen the respect for the vocation of musician in many ways. Sponsorship is fantastic. Bringing the musician to be heard to your part of the world through you. Contributing what you can in organizational skills, providing them information about venues, the music environment, the type of crowd likely to come out, selling tickets, finding lodging etc. This can be done by a group of individuals or a person alone ~ communication between the artist and sponsor can be fun and rewarding for both. The artist will soon be heard in another part of the world!
Another is to encourage musicians to mentor, teach and/or encourage new vocations as they are able. It would be great to hear of the music greats of recent years sharing through scholarships, building & supporting music schools, making local concert arrangements, providing funds and trusts. Teaching at Master Classes at a University's music department is amazing as well. These things to encourage music vocation possibilities for young new musicians barely starting out on their path are invaluable.
Fully I would support the recent music greats in the day's of vinyl (where musicians were paid very large sums of money) networking and supporting their current peers in the industry. There are genuinely true amazingly gifted musicians out there that may merely need to be hooked up with one other particular person to make great things happen musically. What could happen with one phone call. One dream, one vision ~ fully the resources are out there, let's work together.
What a mere $10,000 could do to boost the career and lift a current vocation to it's fullest potential. It's often enough pocket-change to the biggies of vinyl not that long ago. One musicians vocation supported is worth it's weight in gold for everyone. And on it goes... :-) Simply everyone deserves a break at some point in life. Helping one of your own is rewarding.
A musician with a true vocation will know this intuitively. That their craft truly in it's purity is not about them and at the same time it is all about them. It's really only 'theirs' in the measure that they can give it away. Both fulfilling and self-sacrificing. The community of musician's might do very well to become united in their uniquely creative endeavors to reach people, nurture people ~ most assuredly in that is the caring of their own in the industry.
The community of musicians do very well when statements of work are prefaced with us or we - rather than I. The painfulness of "aloneness" ~ in a world of music where more is actually 'shared and mutual' than very far different could grandly be reduced and alleviated with a little bit of generosity, a great deal of humor and huge amounts of fearless commitment to a community of peers that in turn serve humanity.
If music isn't and above all about the celebration of the natural world and it's people ~ I'm not sure is is understood all that well. If something sounds good to me as the true musician (dormant or active) a vocation is speaking it's heart honestly ~ to share. Hearts are lifted when one creates a sound so vital to a work, equally so when another musician surprisingly adds that last riff or harmony to lift the dynamic work to entirely new ground. The end often enough is, 'this is fantastic we have to get this out there or over to so and so' ~~~~~ projects are born, celebrations and smiles for music created. A ripple in the ocean of goodness on earth begins - a new forward movement - born of love.
If we aren't above all about others as well as our own well being than I would venture that life as hard as it is may seem at times may be even more difficult.
Homes, automobiles, travel, diamonds, fashion clothes, major publicity and widely huge paychecks may be a draw and temptation and actual acquisition for many with a true music vocation. Celebrate! Life has been very good to you in "worldly" terms. I'd encourage you to go one step further ~ and support your fellow musicians with their own equally true vocation. Network and get things going together. Fun and exciting large revenue makers now and again. We love when you band yourselves together for some aspect of hurting humanity to heal. Pick your cause.......AIDS kills a person every 10 seconds - the list is endless.
May thousands gather in honor of your goodness and craft as you help humanity, the planet, the animals & fish. Allow us to cheer you standing on our feet in blissful joy :-) ~ Find the up and coming ones as well and give them a break ~ encourage them in the green room ~ and truly meet up again without hesitation when the whole gig is over.
I guess my bottom line seems to be that when you receive a gift such as that of a music vocation I am of the mind that it comes with a lot of responsibility. To yourself, to your family, to the public, to the world ~ well to just plain all of us. Equal to that and of lesser known degree is that we people of the world that listen to the music & experience the music you create need to deeply respect and revere the person(s) with a music vocation - the musician.
This respect needs to be shown and expressed in very concrete ways. This driving force of music in our world may seem to be in a time of upset or turmoil with technologies out the door faster than one can finish a project. As a person of music appreciation ~ Do purchase full CD's either at the performance or by the means the artist chooses to make it available. Buy each and every one of the full pieces of work you enjoy. It's odd many won't hesitate to buy over-the-counter pain medication to soothe a headache for $15.00 or $20.00 for name brand ~ but do not want to pay the same money for a CD that will last indefinitely to soothe them through much more than the occasional headache. Listen to the entire CD ~ there is a reason those songs are compiled together. Rather than buying one song here and another there.
Please do get out of the house and go to concerts monthly. It's good for you, it's good for the children, it's good for the elderly. Make the effort, pile in the car, drive in the weather, scurry in the building, get a nice hot or cool drink, kick back and enjoy yourselves! You are becoming educated, counseled, more relaxed, and involved in the community. Have your children exposed often to music live! Talk about it afterward. Buy the CD for the house. Adults get out yourselves for some R&R monthly.........leave the kids at home with a sitter and get out for a good time of listening, dancing, learning! Get inspired :-) This won't become a priority unless you make it a priority.
We are cheating ourselves to think there is a better way to experience music than being part of that experience that unites and gathers people together. The summer concert, the farmers market corner, the local large venue, house concerts, local clubs and wineries, colleges and universities, pubs and taverns ---- you can find live music! Often the finest experiences are truly by artists you might likely never "heard" before doing all original music. These experiences are so over the top rewarding. New music so fresh it breathes in the room! You've just been hugged by the heart and soul of a true musician. It is real. It is their gift to you.
Perhaps musician's might come up with a way to let people know what they can do to help things along better. A way to allow us to help by letting us know your needs and how we can fulfill them. As you become a more united force through mutual support of your peers ~ perhaps the more united we can become in getting out to hear you, seeing you perform and seeing you to the peak of your careers. Each musician's uniqueness shines all that much brighter when we work together. Truly there is so much you do that goes unnoticed ~ The grueling work of a musician expressing the fullness of their vocation over a lifetime is nothing to be taken lightly.
You are probably one of the most powerful forces humanity has in dealing and coping with the very real harsh realities of life today. And as many of us know sometimes life seems incredibly long, incredibly hard. Our solace comes from you.
My how I love each of you. Never stop making music.
Susan Nieland
4/13/08