Are you doubting yourself?

A while ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sheldon Mirowitz for an episode of my podcast.

We were discussing his childhood and how his teacher helped him form a deep connection to music that he carried with him throughout his life.

Her method was like that of Socrates: stop people in their tracks, strip back everything they think they know, and start from the absolute beginning.

She did it in a much more gentle and soft way than it sounds, as Sheldon was only four years old, but this got me thinking about my own journey with music, including my insecurities, my doubts, my imposter syndrome, etc.

After talking to and interviewing a lot of different musicians, I’ve come to realize we all have this in common: we all go through periods of questioning what the hell we’re doing.

Maybe it’s because you haven’t found the success you want to yet, maybe it’s because the people in your life have told you that musicians can’t make money, or maybe you feel like you don’t know enough.

Whatever it is, we all experience it, because being a ‘musician’ or ‘composer’ doesn’t come with a straight forward path to follow.

It doesn’t fit in with the path that many other jobs follow, which is go to college, get a degree, apply for a job, and start climbing the ladder.

We not only have to be creative in our music, but also in our pursuit of work. We are all making it up as we go!

It’s a scary and vulnerable place to be.

However, being in a state of unknowing does not have to be a negative experience.

As Plato says, “I am better off than he is—for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I neither know nor think that I know.”

Why would this be better than knowing?

Perhaps it’s the fact that acknowledging the reality of what we don’t know opens us up to brand new ideas, opportunities, and experiences for growth.

Creativity lives in that space.

So the next time an insecurity pops up for you and you question what’s next, or how you’re going to be up for the task, remember that this is an opportunity, not a dead end.

And if you can sit down and write an entire piece of music that didn’t exist before, why wouldn’t you be able to figure out whatever this is?

One great resource for us to look to for guidance in those times is learning lessons from other composers.

If you need a good place to start, you can listen to the latest episode, an interview with Composer and Professor Sheldon Mirowtiz:

Until next time,

Nadia