I have devoted my life to music and art and have been pursuing both for decades, but I’m still far from achieving the ideal of being “rich and famous”. The way things are going, this won’t happen any time soon. It sounds like I really care. Truthfully, no. Unfortunately, today’s world functions quite differently. It seems that it is crucial to be “rich and famous” these days to feel like an accomplished individual whose life is meaningful. The Internet has put additional pressure. I immediately think about those stories full of people who feel unhappy and uncertain because of their looks, pressured by some idealized image projected by the Internet and social media.

It is extremely difficult to “make it” in music, especially if you’re into genres not geared toward the masses, don’t have opportunities to mingle with the right crowds, or don’t have promotional machinery behind you. This is exactly my situation. Many would wonder why I still persevere in this game of chasing windmills, instead of turning toward something more certain and profitable. The reason is simple. Music is what I’m born to do and what defines me. Although I consider myself a rather all-around person, I believe that you should always strive to do what you are best at.

Remembering the long years of my formal education, I can't stop wondering at a bizarre and obsolete system I was forced to go through, that aims to suffocate every ounce of one’s individuality and doesn’t allow the person to find and develop their true potential. I will always think about one of my music teachers who has given me a B just because I have played something “my way” instead of blindly following the notes.

Talent is something that conventional minds never understand and don’t appreciate nearly enough. Many malicious people try to discredit someone’s potential with all their strength, especially if that person has yet to receive some formal recognition. If I were to place some award or another under their noses, they probably wouldn’t stop tugging at my sleeves. On the other hand, you just need to pay a little attention and simply listen to what I do. You don’t have to be an expert to recognize talent, quality, and potential. Not to mention how many great artists have lived their lives in poverty and uncertainty, being finally recognized well after their death.

Like any person, I also hope to receive some formal recognition for my work. But this was never what drove me on. The inborn love for creativity and the awareness of my potential are enough. Some reward would probably mean much more to all those “doubtful Thomas(es)” who I have been encountering all my life, also amongst the people I’ve been collaborating with in some way.

I try to make peace with the fact that some formal success is mostly all about luck and favorable circumstances. Even some hugely talented people whose work I follow and appreciate have been extremely lucky. Some would say I’m just trying to cover my omissions. There is some truth to this, but personal circumstances greatly differ from person to person. I will end this with one of the best thoughts I read in a while, although I’m not sure who wrote this. It says: “While most people are climbing more or less tall ladder during their lives, artists are trying to tackle a bare rock without climbing gear”.