Before You Quit

Before you quit

Today, I just want to encourage anyone who might be thinking of quiting music. If you’re one, before you quit, read this article. I had earlier planned to start another series today, but this morning, I felt someone needs this encouragement. This article will make more sense to Christian musicians.

I know you have put in so much into your music career.

Writing great songs with relevant messages and awesome melodies is not easy at all, yet you’ve gone through that pain. You’ve spent so much money to record your original songs. Besides writing and recording, you have spent so much more to get bloggers to promote the song(s). Most likely, you have also expended a lot of energy and time to promote the song(s) yourself. There is a very high tendency that your timeline on social media is filled with links to your songs. You can almost beat your chest and say, “I have tried” and that wouldn’t be a lie.

It’s hard, I know

It could be depressing to invest so much into something you’re passionate about and yet see little or no results. It’s even more frustrating when you see others progressing while it seems you’re at the same spot. You might probably be contemplating to quit music entirely, right now.

But,…

But I just want to tell you that you shouldn’t quit now. There is this principle of planting and harvesting that governs the earth (we read of this principle in Genesis 8:22). This principle applies to everything we do. The efforts and the investments you’re putting into your music right now is like planting, and I want you to know that your harvest season will come at the right time. So please, don’t quit right now. Keep trying, keep investing, keep improving on your art and keep getting better.

Instead of quitting entirely,

Rather than quit, I will advice that you get a day job or business that will take care of your bills and upkeep while you keep investing in your music. You can even slow down a bit on the amount of content you put out, if you have to, but by all means do not quit entirely.

Remember

Remember that you have a message that the world needs to hear, through your music. Before you quit, think about the people that your message was meant for.

So, if wanted to quit before, now that you have read this article, I believe you’ve been encouraged to keep trying (planting); your season of harvest will come.

By the way, I have started doing unbiased song reviews for both published songs and songs that are yet to be published. The reviews could be private (for your consumption only) or it could be published on our site. If you’re interested to get your songs reviewed. Send an email to jeplunemusic@gmail.com and attach an mp3 of the song to be reviewed. Also state if you would like a private review or if you would want it published. You can check some song reviews I’ve done here.

 

 

 

You’re Not Worthless

woman who knows she is not worthless

Today, I’m not writing any article, I just want to tell you that you’re not worthless. And no, this not one of those motivational speeches either.

I know sometimes, you ask yourself, “does anyone even value the things I’m putting out?” Is it worth the efforts I put in? If I quit right now, would anything go wrong? Is my music (or whatever content I put out) even important? Does it impact anyone positively? Am I even worth anything to anyone?

I know these questions bug your mind from time to time and you wish you had the answers. I know when these thoughts come, you sometimes feel worthless and you feel like giving up. How do I know all these? Because I feel the same way too. In fact, as I write these words right now, that’s exactly how I feel.

Today, I just want to tell you that you’re not worthless. You might not have found your (rightful) audience yet. The people within your current circle might not appreciate what you do. It might seem as if nobody needs to hear you or no one cares about what you do. But don’t let those thoughts or realities cripple you. Someday, you will find your audience and they would appreciate you. Someday, you will hear testimonies of people you positively affected their lives through the things you’re currently doing. In the meanwhile, keep up the good work you’re already doing.

I learnt something from David today. In 1Samuel 30:6, when everyone around turned against him, he found strength in God and encouraged himself. So, if everyone around you turns against you, or care less about what you do, find strength in your God and encourage yourself. You’re not worthless.

You can also read previous articles on Musicians’ Corner here.

Don’t Give Up

Today, I feel strongly in my heart to just encourage you; please don’t give up. This wasn’t the topic I originally planned to write on this week, but I felt, this morning, that someone needs to hear this today.

We live in very difficult times. The news we hear everyday is depressing. So much insecurity, and uncertainty in the air. People are just struggling to survive. So many people live on just one meal per day and even that one meal is a big struggle. Musicians are not left out of this struggle too.

In fact, despite all of these common struggles, musicians still have to deal with writing meaningful songs, putting the words into beautiful melody, paying for studio sessions to record their songs, promoting the songs, etc. Someone could put in these amount of work, yet their efforts might not even be noticed, let alone appreciated. This is enough reason to get you discouraged as a musician. You ask yourself, “is it worth the troubles? Does anyone really care whether or not I do music? Is anyone even listening to me?”

This is a situation I recently found myself in. I was asking myself those questions and I felt like giving up. Then it dawned on me that there might be other musicians out there who might be feeling the same way, right now. And that they need someone to encourage them.

You see, the truth is that you have a message to share to the world. It might seem as though nobody is listening to you and your work is not appreciated, but trust me, someone out there needs to hear your message. So please, don’t give up. Pick up your pen and paper and write that song in your head. Sing it to your friends and family members. If you get invited to sing anywhere, sing those songs. Yes, you might not have money for another studio session right now, but don’t let that stop you. Record yourself singing, with your phone camera, and post it on social media. Keep on doing the good work you are doing and don’t give up. In the end, you’ll realise that it was all worth it.

You can read other interesting articles on Musicians’ Corner here.