Yesterday I had the honor of accompanying my daughter Shelby as she sang at her Great Grandma’s funeral. The music on that day was not for the purpose of entertainment or to feed the ego of the performer. Once again, I was reminded that the arts are not expendable. The arts are an essential part of the human experience, necessary to reach the unseen corners of our spirits and remind us of what is truly most important. 

We are entering music contest session for high schools so this reminder could not have come at a better time. It is the easy road to allow our performances to be about our egos which leads to a lot of emotional turbulence. The article below I thought a helpful reminder for the artist to take the high road focusing on the bigger picture.

How to Stop Worrying so Much About What Other People Think by Noa Kageyama

…what if cultivating a stronger sense of life purpose could help us become more resilient in the face of the ups and downs of a life in the arts? What if this might be a way to help us remain less affected by the external validation (or lack thereof) that we receive every day, keep our eyes on the big picture, and stay the path even when we have one of those days where it’s easier to be our worst critic than our strongest supporter?

Will Smith reminds us in this clip from The Tonight Show that art is not about us and our ego, but a way to make a contribution to others.