Why I Keep Making Music Even If It Never Becomes A Career

Neon Notes — Week [21] 

If someone told me today that music would never be my full time job, I would still open my DAW tomorrow.

I'd still start a new song, experiment until something sounded good, try to finish it, and enjoy creating something that didn't exist before.

This may sound strange to some people because creativity is often tied to success, money, or recognition. To me, it's something much simpler.

The act of creating is what matters most.

There is something incredibly satisfying about opening a blank project and asking myself, "What do I want to make today?"

Fast or slow? Dark or vibrant? What genre?

Sometimes I have a clear idea before I even open my DAW. Other times, I have no plan at all. I just know that I want to create something.

Even after all this time, that feeling hasn't gone away.

In fact, I have several songs that will never be released simply because I made them for myself.

Of course I want other people to enjoy my music. Who wouldn't?

Knowing that I created something I love and that other people connect with it too is one of the greatest feelings a musician can experience.

Over the last few years, I've had some completely unexpected things happen. Radio play, interviews, signing with a label, and hearing from listeners who connected with my music.

Those moments have been incredible, and I'm grateful for every one of them.

But those moments are occasional.

Making music is constant.

That's why I still make music almost every day. It's no longer something I want to do. It's something that I need to do.

If I only made music for money or recognition, there would be long stretches where I had no reason to create.

When I first started, I was driven by curiosity. I had dabbled with making beats years ago, and one day I decided to give music production a real chance.

That curiosity quickly became a passion.

And that passion keeps bringing me back to the studio.

The process itself is the reward.

Music may never be a full time career, but the fact that I put something into the world that didn't exist before is all the success I need.

Thanks for reading.
If you have thoughts about any of this, I’d love to hear them.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. New posts go live every Wednesday.