HELP!!/what keeps you going?????

[panamacanal]

man, i make beats and my parents and everybody has something to say, i mean it really keeps me outta trouble,and it's the only thing that keeps me sane and makes me happy,im 21 and bout to go to job corps.and earlier my dad was telling me how this "shit i was doing" was not making any money, but i do it for the love!so, today i was thinking about giving up on making beats and making music and everything and selling all my records and my mixer and everything b4 i go to job corps.this is terrible b-cuz no one else seems to care but me....

so in short(too late), i wanna know what you think on this opinion & keeps you inspired to make music.

if you wanna hear my music here's my page:
MySpace.com - panamacanal - BALTIMORE, Maryland - Hip Hop / Rap / Lyrical - www.myspace.com/imakebeatztoodammit

[semantik]

hey homie... lemme just say this... don't give up.

It's not about being famous or making money. If making music makes you happy, then keep doing it... the personal rewards far outweigh the monetary ones.

Your father is right to a certain degree... completely basing your future on all of this may not be the best long term path. Pursue school, training, and your career first, but always make sure that you leave room to do the things that inspire you. If I pursued music with the goal of making money, I would have given up a long time ago. (I actually came close to it a few times).

Take some time off if you must, but don't get rid of you equipment, especially your records. You can always buy new turntables once you get more dough... you can't always get your records back, at least not very cheaply.

Honestly man... no one else is gonna care about it but you. That's just something you'll have to accept. This is something that you do for yourself, not other people. Plus, and I know this may sound a little off the wall, but most people are afraid to create something. That's why they encourage others to do the same old ordinary thing they are doing.

Like I said... take some time off if you have to, get your training, do what you have to do, but don't make an emotional decision that you may regret later on. You lose nothing by keeping your equipment until you have a better handle on things.

Truthfully, I almost gave up after the site crash. After fighting day and night to write, program, and grow the site... I lost almost everything. Then I realized that there is a much bigger dream and vision that many people around me fail to realize. I personally stay focused and motivated at the thought of building something completely new and unique from the ground up. Sometimes I can't sleep at night or write fast enough because I have so many ideas that just continue to constantly flow.

Recently there was a line from Kanye West's "Champion" that stuck a cord and always helps me to maintain focus:
"When it seems like living's harder than dying/For me giving up is way harder than trying"

Hope this helps.

Sem

[figment]

I whole heartedly (< ive never seen that phrase actually written down, and now it looks weird) agree with everything Sem said, i feel exactly where you're coming from, i've been 'involved' with music for just over 3 years now, beat making for about a year and my parents have no clue whatsoever about any of it, i take the viewpoint of ''they wont understand or care, i'll just get a huge lecture about wasting time, so what's the point?'' but i think you should definitely not give up, a good way to look at it is - some people (sad people) build model railways, some people play sports - you make beats. If anyone (and this includes your parents) doesn't like it - fuck em'. In the big scheme of things, life is short, you should do what makes you feel good.

I think society is to blame (again) for this pressure that im sure every member of this forum has felt at one time or another. Hip-Hop is presented nowdays as this magnanimous, multi billion dollar money making machine where, if your not wearing 8 figures round your neck, your not 'Hip-Hop.' I could ramble on but, i think i said it best earlier on in my rant - if it makes you feel good - do it

[mrfloyd]

Semantik laid it our for ya brother. Nice words Sem.

I never even thought about making money out of making music. Though...in the long run, it actually saves me money.

1st and foremost you have to make the decision to either go for it (making music) or accept the fact that is a hobby. I cant tell you which of the 2 you should do. But Im sure you know the answer.

Creating music is a gift. Use it. Expressing your creativity is something that most people are unable to do.

Even if no money is intended to be made and it is only for your love and passion of the art form....There is really nothing more pure then that.

[figment]

/\ some more good points. some people just need to create, i know that if it wasnt for me making music, i would write poetry or stories, or draw/paint or act - anything, i just have this need. And if you have it to you shouldnt let a thing like money stand in the way

[R.Jay]

first and foremost, you gotta love it, its cliche, but pretty much everything i do revolves around making beats. im in school right now but im questioning whether or not i wanna work my way into a corporate business type job. my uncle once told me something that had been the most inspirtional thing anyone has ever said to me. He told me that he worked 40 years of his life, spent the whole time stressed, and hated going to work in the morning. For 40 years he woke up not wanting to go to work, and now, hes built up a lot of money, but hes at a point where money isnt even an issue. money can't buy those 40 years of your life to make them worthwhile.
to make a long story short, do what makes you happy, like for me, i kno i probably cant make beats for a living, but i want to be around music, like an a&r or something. but basically, never forget that feeling of when you take a sample, cut it, chop it, and make a finished project, that alone is enough to keep me motivated

[CHI-STEY]

look ive been doing this since 10 both of my parents support me alot but its not just music i showed that im responsible i work a 9-5 at a dental office and go home to make beats also im married my wife has a jazz voice degree. so make shure you just never give up on your dream even if it means you need a day job all in all though i have made some money but not enough to support me pluse you need a day job to buy more equipment and records.....

[Rafferty]

Originally Posted by semantik

most people are afraid to create something. That's why they encourage others to do the same old ordinary thing they are doing.

you know what, that's SO true. I don't know why it is, maybe public school grinds it outta people, but most people think that artists and creative types are magicians. I really believe that. And so you know how some people probably distrust magic, because they don't understand it, and other people think magic is the best thing ever (because they don't understand it). There's nothing magic about making music, or art in general. It's labour. It takes hellah work. And you have to prioritize where you're gonna spend your hard work, be it attaining a certain level of expertise or technical proficiency at your chosen art, or making skrilla on the stock market, or being a good cook, etc.

I play guitar a lot, and occasionally get paid to do so, and it's funny the reactions I get. Actually I'm going on a month-long tour in a couple days, and so when I tell people this they're like "Oh wow that's crazy! You're so lucky!" etc etc. It's not luck, it's labour. I wasn't born good at guitar, I worked really hard. Maybe what I was born with is the desire to get good at guitar. And I'm guessin you were born with a similar desire, maybe not with guitar but with music or beats or however you describe it. But yeah, people all of a sudden treat me with more respect when I say I'm going on tour with my band. Which part of me likes (the caveman part of me) but also I almost resent, because why were you treating me with less respect before?

This culture is so fucked-up... like, if you're doing something you love doing and you get lots of pleasure doing it, but you're not any good at it yet, then you're "wasting your time". But if you're good at it (and mostly people think you're good at something if you can make money doing it) then you're a fucking magician. Good friend of mine is a comic artist who's finally getting some renown lately, and he stresses that he's not any better than other people at drawing, he just practises more than other people. And now that his main source of income is drawing comics, all of a sudden he's not "wasting his time" anymore.

The other thing about our culture is that guilt seems to be somehow upheld as a virtue. Guilt and endless striving. Whereas pleasure is a sin. So it's more virtuous to grind away at a job you hate, contributing much more to the economy than to your own happiness. And it's a sin to take a fucking break and do something for yourself, that you love. The assholes are only nice to you if doing what you love generates capital and stimulates the economy (and then they're only nice to you because they smell your success and happiness and want some for themselves). I say fuck the economy and fuck the assholes, and do what you love. Life is hard; you might as well be happy for as much of it as you can manage without fucking other people over.

there's my rant. In short: don't give up. Do what you love. seven

[DJ Stone 613]

damn this is like the most interesting topic on the whole site

i agree with all these dudes, whatever makes u happy

[Kick Rocks]

YouTube - 2Pac - Do For Love