finding myself as an artist, help

danielleiman · 08-08-2014, 09:26 AM

ok so I sing and have been doing so since young lessons classical music to jazz to r & b , pop you name it i love all sorts of music and I want to be serious with my artistry when i was in hs i was forced to go to a school majoring in health professions when i really wanted to study singing and all the arts im the black sheep of my family to make it simple
everyones a professor or a nurse and even though my singing was loved the idea of really taking it seriously was shunned and pushed aside for a long time..still is honestly
and as i went into college it was the same thing until i got bold enough to call that quits
i feel like I missed out a lot not being in a musical environment
my dad always told me to write so i will have music but in hs i got depressed threw out everything and stopped writing
now i hate what i write
i think i suck i wanna make my own music but idek where to begin i feel so idle
its like you need connections(or maybe not) in this world to do this kind of stuff but idek how to get started
i decided i will teach myself how to make beats but even then im having a problem and its not that I cant learn im pretty good and teachings myself things i just feel so lost and dont know what to do what kind of artist i am
i wanna get the ball rolling but idk how and i live in nyc i feel like there is no reason things are this way
im just looking for a little advice from people other than the ones around me who dont seem to help or know how to

Machine · 10-12-2014, 05:34 PM

First off have confidence I don't mean be boastful but don't say you suck. Secondly no you don't need connections they help yes but many modern musical success stories in indie and underground music source from making it their own meaning D.I.Y. plus finding yourself is the fun of creating music for me I'm still on that journey so take from your influences and take from yourself you'll get there believe me.

Oriphiel · 10-17-2014, 04:41 PM

Force yourself to write a song. At first, it'll give you a headache and seem terrible, but as the days go by, you'll find yourself adding to it. Maybe a good tune for the intro will hit you when you're falling asleep, or a really awesome riff will pop into your head when you're out for a walk. Instead of trying to hold to one element of your expression (Trying to make it purely a "serious" song, or a "fun" song, or a "personal" song, etc.), try to find a balance between everything that makes you who you are. As long as the song is your own, it's beautiful, and you should stand by it as much as it stands by you.

And don't be put down when all of your songs seem to be underwhelming. After all, pretty much every songwriter (John Lennon and Paul Mcartney come to mind) start off writing very simple love songs.

And when you are completely mind-blocked from writing a tune... The Twelve Bar Blues never fails!

08-08-2014, 09:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
danielleiman Groupie Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1	finding myself as an artist, help ok so I sing and have been doing so since young lessons classical music to jazz to r & b , pop you name it i love all sorts of music and I want to be serious with my artistry when i was in hs i was forced to go to a school majoring in health professions when i really wanted to study singing and all the arts im the black sheep of my family to make it simple everyones a professor or a nurse and even though my singing was loved the idea of really taking it seriously was shunned and pushed aside for a long time..still is honestly and as i went into college it was the same thing until i got bold enough to call that quits i feel like I missed out a lot not being in a musical environment my dad always told me to write so i will have music but in hs i got depressed threw out everything and stopped writing now i hate what i write i think i suck i wanna make my own music but idek where to begin i feel so idle its like you need connections(or maybe not) in this world to do this kind of stuff but idek how to get started i decided i will teach myself how to make beats but even then im having a problem and its not that I cant learn im pretty good and teachings myself things i just feel so lost and dont know what to do what kind of artist i am i wanna get the ball rolling but idk how and i live in nyc i feel like there is no reason things are this way im just looking for a little advice from people other than the ones around me who dont seem to help or know how to

10-12-2014, 05:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Machine moon lake inc. Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Detroit Posts: 2,125	First off have confidence I don't mean be boastful but don't say you suck. Secondly no you don't need connections they help yes but many modern musical success stories in indie and underground music source from making it their own meaning D.I.Y. plus finding yourself is the fun of creating music for me I'm still on that journey so take from your influences and take from yourself you'll get there believe me.

10-17-2014, 04:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,354	Force yourself to write a song. At first, it'll give you a headache and seem terrible, but as the days go by, you'll find yourself adding to it. Maybe a good tune for the intro will hit you when you're falling asleep, or a really awesome riff will pop into your head when you're out for a walk. Instead of trying to hold to one element of your expression (Trying to make it purely a "serious" song, or a "fun" song, or a "personal" song, etc.), try to find a balance between everything that makes you who you are. As long as the song is your own, it's beautiful, and you should stand by it as much as it stands by you. And don't be put down when all of your songs seem to be underwhelming. After all, pretty much every songwriter (John Lennon and Paul Mcartney come to mind) start off writing very simple love songs. And when you are completely mind-blocked from writing a tune... The Twelve Bar Blues never fails!