The Gift Of Your Music (And Why You Must Share It)

If you are a music creator, you have a gift that needs sharing.

In reality your gift of music is a two directional gift. On the one hand, I believe the sheer fact that you have any musical talent, aptitude, or creative ideas is a pure gift from God. It did not originate with you. It was given to you.

Clearly not everyone is given this gift of music.

On the other hand the musical talent and inspiration wasn’t given just for you to have and to keep. It was given so that you might give it out; that you might share it with others.

So if music is given TO you, and it’s best enjoyed when it flows OUT of you into the lives of others – then doesn’t that make you some kind of musical conduit or channel?

I believe there is much joy to be found in embracing this concept.

Via asenat29 Flickr

Don’t Wait Until Your Music Is Perfect

The point I’m trying to make today is simple; don’t wait until your music is perfect before you share it with others.

Don’t wait until you’ve written the best song, or recorded the perfect vocal, or mixed the perfect track. If you do – you’ll never actually release anything, because no one can create a perfect piece of art.

Great music is human. It’s flawed. It ebbs and flows. It affects you at a deep level. It isn’t a perfectly calculated and manufactured thing. So it’s OK to be real about your messy music and share it anyway.

You see, too many of us made too little music this year.

We had high hopes, but in the end we never had the time to perfect our song or album. In reality, chances are good that we COULD have released more music had we simply embraced more human and realistic expectations for our music.

Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not an advocate for making bad or sloppy music.

Rather I’m an advocate for embracing our musical messiness and imperfections and sharing the best of what we have to offer in spite of it all.

Be A Giver, Not A Hoarder

If you’ve been given a song idea, or a track to mix, then stop hoarding it. Don’t let the flow of music find it’s dead end with you. Have some guts and some generosity and share what you have with the world, even if you’re scared to do it.

Giving is a major theme this week with the Christmas holiday a few days away. And the very inception of Christmas was founded on a single gift: the gift of freedom and forgiveness through Jesus’ birth (and eventual perfect life, death, and resurrection) 2,000 years ago.

And it was a messy gift.

The dude was a king and yet he was born in an animal barn on the outskirts of a humble town to a couple of average hardworking parents. Nothing fancy, perfect, or put together about the entire thing. In fact, Jesus’ birth (and life) was disappointing to many of those who anticipated his coming for years.

But it was a gift that was needed, and it was given. It wasn’t held back.

And when Christmas rolls around I can’t help but think about how powerful giving is. How much others might benefit if we were less inclined to hold back and perfect things, and more ready to share as we go.

Start Where You Are

People need your music. They might not know it, but they do.

Music is a gift to those who hear it. And if you are blessed to be a music creator, then finish the circle of gift giving, and share that music with someone. Don’t let it die with you and your super high level of expectations.

Pass it out, and move on to your next musical creation. This one might not be perfect, but it’s a start and you can only start where you are.

So this Christmas (whether you celebrate the actual holiday or not) and in the coming year, think about the concept of giving and how your music plays a part in that.

What song or songs are you holding back that you might need to simply call “done” and share with your friends and family in the coming weeks?

What expectations are you holding your music to that are actually prohibiting you from completing the cycle of giving I mentioned above?

How can you have more freedom and joy in your music making as you embrace the gift you’ve been given and more readily share it with others?

[Merry Christmas everyone. I’ll see you in two weeks as I’m taking some time off of writing and video making to rest and celebrate with my family. Thanks for being a part of this “revolution”!]