One of the most wonderful things about being a musician is that it’s a lifelong journey. There is no endpoint or destination when learning an instrument. As writer James P. Carse says, some ambitions we encounter are “finite games,” and some are “infinite games.” The former includes sports or solitaire, while the latter comprises art and music.
Yet even decades of pursuing music can include significant ups and downs—challenges that can be difficult or dissuasive. Thank goodness others can help us through these pitfalls. These accomplished performers share insights about what it means to follow their love of music. From rock and roll frontwomen to Grammy-nominated artists to songwriters to the stars, these are the musicians putting time and effort into achieving their sonic dreams. Find out what they have to say about starting out and beyond.
Starting Out
It can be hard to begin. Questions and doubts can easily rush in when we pick up our first instruments. So, what should someone think about when they’re starting out?
Eva Walker (frontperson for The Black Tones and KEXP DJ): What I’ve told a lot of young musicians that I’ve taught is that there are no rules. There are fundamentals but no rules, tools but no rules. Meaning, make whatever you want to make. Whatever speaks to you. Someone can tell you it’s wrong, but that doesn’t mean anything.
Chris Ballew (frontperson for Presidents of the United States of America and Caspar Babypants): Figure out who you are. Figure out what you like and what you don’t like. Make music that you want to hear. Please yourself and have fun. If you make it to a level of success that you dream about, then you had fun along the way. And if you don’t make it, then you had fun along the way.
"Figure out who you are. Figure out what you like and what you don’t like. Make music that you want to hear. Please yourself and have fun."
Parisalexa (artist, songwriter for K-pop stars and more): Write everything down. Everything is inspiration. Even when you’re going to the store—if you feel a certain feeling that makes you go, “Oh!” Then write it down. It can sometimes seem uncool to fully express your emotions, but your music is where you should collect all your thoughts.
Malina Moye (No. 1 Billboard Blues chart-topper): Make tons of mistakes and learn from those mistakes while you’re playing. Have fun and be around people who are better than you when you feel like you’re ready to move to that next level.
Bonnie Bloomgarden (frontwoman for Death Valley Girls): Find an instrument that feels good to you. Something that draws you in so when you wake up, you are desperate to go play again.
"Find an instrument that feels good to you. Something that draws you in so when you wake up, you are desperate to go play again."
Facing Challenges
There are always challenges to get past in every discipline. But how should you do so as a musician?
Eva Walker: If you are persistent, the other side is there. Don’t get distracted by what’s not important. Keep your head up and work.
Chris Ballew: Foster detachment from a script you have written in your mind and used to judge yourself with. You are a meat-covered skeleton made of stardust, so relax. Find answers in the joy of the present moment.
Parisalexa: If you’re facing challenges, trust that it means that you’re in the exact right place. It sounds counterintuitive, but getting resistance means you should keep going. When you’re not trying, there’s no pushback.
Malina Moye: Breathe. And look at things from a bird’s eye view. Get advice from someone who is doing well and who you respect.
Bonnie Bloomgarden: Instead of thinking you have to play, say, for an hour every day, which can seem really hard at first, I would say to try and play for five minutes a day. Because you can accomplish that easily, it will probably lead you to play more. It feels really good to stick to something, and you’ll see the results immediately.
"If you are persistent, the other side is there. Don’t get distracted by what’s not important. Keep your head up and work."
Making Progress
What does progress look like, and how should young artists think about the idea of progress?
Eva Walker: I got good when I started practicing. I was able to solo on guitar when I decided I was going to learn to solo. Put yourself in not just hard but different situations. With my band, I’d always had a lead guitarist. But when she left, I thought about getting another. But deep down, I’d always wanted to be a lead guitarist. So, I made myself the lead guitarist! When I had to play lead in front of people, I was terrified, but now I can do it.
Chris Ballew: This depends on how you define “progress.” If progress is feeling more like yourself, and more like the music you’re making represents your true nature, then congratulations! You are on the right path.
Parisalexa: Be objective about your own work and try to view your work less as personal to you. You have to view your progress objectively. Build your goals based on where you started and where you’re trying to get.
Malina Moye: Each person’s journey is different. Respect what it is for you and take little steps every day toward what you wish to achieve. Be realistic about what you can make happen in two weeks and then be realistic about what you can do long-term. And adjust accordingly.
Bonnie Bloomgarden: When I was a kid, my biggest worry was that I had never made any records, and I was so sad about that. Now, I’m at a point where there’s an infinite amount of records I can make! So, stick with it. Write stuff, don’t worry how cool it is at first, and eventually, you’ll have a body of work you’re super proud of.
"Be objective about your own work and try to view your work less as personal to you."
Dreaming Big
Goals and dreams look different for everyone—some want to be giant stars, others want to be working musicians. How do you balance dreams with reality?
Eva Walker: It’s just important to dream. It’s all relative. I don’t know what “dreaming big” necessarily means. Not everybody wants to be Taylor Swift or Beyoncé. Some people want to be them, and that’s okay. So, just dream. Have somewhere you want to be and work toward it. I think it’s so important to exercise imagination as much as possible. I encourage everyone in the world to at least once a month just sit and stare at the wall and let your mind go.
Chris Ballew: I did not find success by dreaming big. I found success by doing it myself and remaining small. Instead of waiting for approval from the star system or major labels, MTV and radio (which is what had to be conquered back in the ’90s when I was coming up), I focused on the 25 people in front of my band at the show and did everything I could to make them happy. I think it is important to identify your sphere of influence and do your best within those limitations. What can you do today to feel good about the music you are making?
"I did not find success by dreaming big. I found success by doing it myself and remaining small."
Parisalexa: Dream big and allow your dreams to guide you, but not necessarily where you think they will. Allow that path to be malleable and flexible. I’ve always wanted to be a songwriter, but I didn’t think doing K-Pop would get me where it has. Being open allows many doors to open right in front of you.
Malina Moye: You should absolutely dream big because you don’t know what’s going to happen. But if you don’t dream big, you won’t ever know. Any good career, anything that you want to do, starts with an impossible dream. Make it as outlandish as possible, and then go for it.
Bonnie Bloomgarden: No one’s success is the same as anyone else’s. For me, being in a band is success, and getting to tour is success. And writing records is success. When you’re trying to be successful, I think it’s better to look back at all you’ve achieved and how far you’ve come than thinking about it as something unattainable in the future. You are successful; you’re here on Earth!
"Any good career, anything that you want to do, starts with an impossible dream. Make it as outlandish as possible, and then go for it."
Finding Joy In Music
What does it mean to find and hang on to joy as a musician? Is it harder than it sounds?
Eva Walker: I always think of that James Jamerson quote, “If you don’t feel it, don’t play it.” But also don’t make yourself do anything you don’t want to do. There are exceptions to that, of course, like hard work when you’re tired. But my ultimate goal is to not be on my deathbed hating something that I’ve loved since childhood—music. That would be a tragedy for me. So, I do it at a pace that makes me feel good. Some days, I don’t want anything to do with making music. And I let myself not feel bad about that. And some days, I want to be around it all the time.
Chris Ballew: Know when to walk away. If you are not receiving joy from what you’re doing, stop. I have taken years at a time when I have not written any songs because I couldn’t access the joy. It’s very important to let the fields go fallow from time to time so you can grow a new crop of creativity that is vital and rich.
"Every time you remember to be grateful, there’s joy. It’s up to you."
Parisalexa: Don’t forget to be a listener. My listening taste is so much different than my creative taste. Differentiating them has allowed me to have my guilty pleasure music. I can listen to Nickelback or rock, and it doesn’t have to be part of my job. That way, I can keep work and enjoyment separate if I need to.
Malina Moye: Music is supposed to be fun. It’s the business that’s the nightmare at times. But never let anybody take away the fun from what you like to do—ever. Everybody’s going to get frustrated at times—even doctors get frustrated. But they don’t stop being doctors! Always be grateful and look at all the things you got from a life in music that you wouldn’t have gotten had you not pursued it.
Bonnie Bloomgarden: On my last tour, I chose to rent a different keyboard than usual. I got a JUNO-60. It has always been my dream keyboard! So, when I got to play it for 30 days recently, it changed my life. So, every time you remember to be grateful, there’s joy. It’s up to you.
"The struggles you have been through, these are things that might be able to help the next generation. If you’ve already been here, you can give some advice."
Paying It Forward
What is the value in considering the next generation of music makers?
Eva Walker: Never think that you fully got somewhere on your own because that’s just not true. And because that’s not true, you have to remember to do something for somebody else. If we want to keep the music going, we have to welcome the next group of people.
Chris Ballew: If you are truly and consistently yourself and making music that genuinely sounds like the vibrations of your soul, then you are giving back. Then, if you reach a level of success where you have more money than you know what to do with, give it away!
Parisalexa: The struggles you have been through, these are things that might be able to help the next generation. If you’ve already been here, you can give some advice and something back to those who come next. I think recognizing your community and the people around you is very important.
