About Compromised

Post 1943:

Life requires compromise. It also requires to be sure and to do the right thing. Wait a minute…

Yeah, it can be frustrating. Having principles and taking a firm stand will cost you, sometimes dearly. I feel this in all areas of my life, specifically in work. I pay for playing music and writing every dang day, and though I get paid, sometimes it’s hard to know if it’s worth it.

Especially when you compromise. But no one wants the pure unfiltered contents of your head. That’s too much, too hard to understand. So you compromise with yourself, to make people understand. Or you can do it exactly how you want. That rarely works out.

Sometimes I see super successful artists and it seems like they’re doing exactly what they want. Then I remember they answer to people in suits and answer to numbers and metrics and sweat how they’ll be received just like anyone else.

The arts ain’t the hardest gig, but ultimately an artist is a servant. People want what they want. Sometimes you can make them see they wanted the wrong thing, but that’s tough sledding.

There’s no perfect gig. But some are better than others. Artsy artists stick to their guns and hope for the best. Practical artists look at the market and go from there. Is one better than the other? I can make a convincing argument for both, I think. It just depends on your desire or ability to compromise with a world that has the nerve not to be exactly as you want it. Then again, in a perfect world,, you wouldn’t want to make anything. Why add to perfection? We’re screwed!

Never compromise. Unless you want to or need to. That’s my principled advice. Cheers and see you after.