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innerstatejt
innerstatejt
Here's a recent post of mine. Since it's short, I figured I'd just post it here so you don't have to click to an outside link.
Enjoy!
How to be the best in the world
Being the best in the world at something is a pinnacle that so many reach for but so few ever obtain. Being number 1 isn’t just a hair above number 2. In fact, number 1 can command 2-3 times what number 2 commands & up to 10 or more times more than those below that.
I want you to be number one.
Have you ever given it much thought? Have you ever allowed yourself to think at that level? Why not? Don’t think you’ll ever be good enough? Do you think being the best means you have to sell your soul? Sell out?
I want to offer a different perspective that may change the way you look at art, and yourself as an artist.
What makes someone the best? Does everyone agree on who is the best in every category? I think not. In fact, some artists that we look at as the best, got very little attention, let alone admiration for their work, until they were long dead.
In other words, it’s impossible to be the best artist or musician for all people at all times. It’s too broad & there are too many people with different tastes.
When we start to break things down into smaller & smaller categories, it becomes much more easy to agree on who is the best.
If you want to be the best in the world at something, you have to define who you are in very specific terms. Something that you can perfect and call your own. Sure you’re going to be influenced by others, but like a great recipe, there is some twist that you do that makes it your very own & makes others choose your recipe instead of others. Maybe your unique flavor isn’t for everyone. Neither is escargot. You can use this to your advantage. The less people who are attempting to do what you do, in the way you do it, the better.
The reason we don’t have more world class artists, it that everyone is too busy trying to be a 2nd rate someone else instead of the best them in the world!
You are the only thing that makes you unique. You are the one who will bring magic to what you do, if you start listening to your inner voice & give it time to develop. Stop jumping everybody else’s train & create your own train that people will want to ride. Perfect it as you go. Put your 10,000 hours in and stay with your passion instead of somebody else’s.
When you see a new genre of music blowing up & making people famous, realize that it’s already too late to make a name for yourself doing what they do, the way they do it. Sure you’ll get some quick attention for a bit, but you’ll never be the best. The best is already taken.
When Brian Eno decided to make a type of music without drums & without much of a structure, people thought he was crazy & very few people followed him (in the beginning). But he stayed his path instead of being influenced by what was popular, or even what his fans expected of him. Now he is considered a master of ambient music (among many other talents he has developed). He created his own niche & he is considered the best in the world at what he does. It is now too late to be the best in the world at making ambient music, just like it’s too late to be the best at dubstep or rock.
If you are going to be world class, you must find your own voice. There will never be another person on the planet who will ever be better at being you than you are. Being you is your legacy. Get off the follower’s path & start leading your own path again.
Like every great artist before you, redefine what it means to be the best in the world.
Happy music making,
Jason
Enjoy!
How to be the best in the world
Being the best in the world at something is a pinnacle that so many reach for but so few ever obtain. Being number 1 isn’t just a hair above number 2. In fact, number 1 can command 2-3 times what number 2 commands & up to 10 or more times more than those below that.
I want you to be number one.
Have you ever given it much thought? Have you ever allowed yourself to think at that level? Why not? Don’t think you’ll ever be good enough? Do you think being the best means you have to sell your soul? Sell out?
I want to offer a different perspective that may change the way you look at art, and yourself as an artist.
What makes someone the best? Does everyone agree on who is the best in every category? I think not. In fact, some artists that we look at as the best, got very little attention, let alone admiration for their work, until they were long dead.
In other words, it’s impossible to be the best artist or musician for all people at all times. It’s too broad & there are too many people with different tastes.
When we start to break things down into smaller & smaller categories, it becomes much more easy to agree on who is the best.
If you want to be the best in the world at something, you have to define who you are in very specific terms. Something that you can perfect and call your own. Sure you’re going to be influenced by others, but like a great recipe, there is some twist that you do that makes it your very own & makes others choose your recipe instead of others. Maybe your unique flavor isn’t for everyone. Neither is escargot. You can use this to your advantage. The less people who are attempting to do what you do, in the way you do it, the better.
The reason we don’t have more world class artists, it that everyone is too busy trying to be a 2nd rate someone else instead of the best them in the world!
You are the only thing that makes you unique. You are the one who will bring magic to what you do, if you start listening to your inner voice & give it time to develop. Stop jumping everybody else’s train & create your own train that people will want to ride. Perfect it as you go. Put your 10,000 hours in and stay with your passion instead of somebody else’s.
When you see a new genre of music blowing up & making people famous, realize that it’s already too late to make a name for yourself doing what they do, the way they do it. Sure you’ll get some quick attention for a bit, but you’ll never be the best. The best is already taken.
When Brian Eno decided to make a type of music without drums & without much of a structure, people thought he was crazy & very few people followed him (in the beginning). But he stayed his path instead of being influenced by what was popular, or even what his fans expected of him. Now he is considered a master of ambient music (among many other talents he has developed). He created his own niche & he is considered the best in the world at what he does. It is now too late to be the best in the world at making ambient music, just like it’s too late to be the best at dubstep or rock.
If you are going to be world class, you must find your own voice. There will never be another person on the planet who will ever be better at being you than you are. Being you is your legacy. Get off the follower’s path & start leading your own path again.
Like every great artist before you, redefine what it means to be the best in the world.
Happy music making,
Jason
