Life-Changing Quotes, Music Edition
Here are some of the music quotes which will help you in life.
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” — Louis Armstrong
As a guitar instructor and a full-time performer in the past, I know what Jazz is. Actually… I don’t
If you have to ask what your job/destiny/goal/purpose is, you’ll never know. In fact, you should know them by now — why you do what you do.
Here’s why.
We human beings are adaptable creatures. We have the capacity to learn new crafts or skills at any time and the given ability to soak up information just by listening or looking at others doing said things. With these abilities in play, we outgrow ourselves we become the “Jack of all trait and master of none” being.
It is important to focus on the one thing you do best and be the best doing it.
But how do you know which is best? The one that gives you the most energy to do so at the shortest time frame.
Here’s a situation of mine which I recently discovered.
I am good at storytelling and making documentaries — interviewing people, talking to them and helping them to turn their stories into visual media. With this in play, I am also capable of photographing special moments which tells stories. Everything that I do best, revolves around people and their stories.
I took up a small job which required me to take photos of pieces of jewellery — I spent almost 2 hours to get one photo right. I knew that I wasn’t capable of doing that job well but I know the fundamentals and how to get that “look” and sadly, it took me almost 2 hours to get one photo done correctly. Obviously, this is not for me. I stopped and focused on the things I do best instead. You have to know when to stop and to focus on what you do best.
“If you have to ask what Jewellery photography is… you’ll never know”
- I don’t know the answer.
“If you have to ask what Storytelling is… you’ll never know”
- I know the answer. I know what storytelling is all about.
In short, do what you do best to a point whereby you know all the answers to all the questions. If you still have lingering questions about what and why you do them, maybe it is time to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence in between.” — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
My guitar teacher once told me something very useful which I passed on to some of my students today.
“There are 2 kinds of lead guitar players… the one who speaks and the one who diarrheas.”
Let me explain.
The one who speaks leaves spaces in between his notes and allow breathing spaces, commas, full-stops, exclamation and question marks — like a conversation. The one who diarrheas are quite the opposite — he just let out a million of notes at once.
Let’s put these 2 subjects into context.
Sometimes, we need to listen.
We need to listen and give the other person breathing space.
Listen and let them breathe.
Be a good listener and speak when spoken to.
A two-way conversation is never about you… it takes 2 hands to clap.
Having the right space is very important in comparison to having the right words.
We live in different voices, what might seem right to us may not be right to them.
Space.
“I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it.” — Igor Stravinsky
Have you ever come across situations which made you feel like giving up?
All you do is question, doubt and hate yourself?
I have…
I love this quote. And if you apply it into your career or life, it makes perfect sense.
Sometimes, we never know why we do what we do but we know that whatever we are doing is right…
I never understood why some of the best work I put out there received little to none appreciation or engagement numbers. I never understood why I keep writing blogs when no one is reading it. I never understood why I love to make videos of creatives and entrepreneurs sharing their stories when no one is paying me to do so. I never understood all these. It just felt right… the right thing to do — to help others.
You see… most of the time we do what we do because we love it but ironically, once reality and money start to weigh in… we stop.
You have to feel it first before you can commit to doing it consistently.
I know that my blogs will help someone who is down.
I know that the videos I made will eventually make their way down other creatives or entrepreneurs which will help. I know that the money will come eventually. I can feel it all.
Sometimes, you don’t need to understand why you do what you do as long as you feel that it is the right thing to do.
