Those That Can, Teach.

I’m completely blown away by the response to last week’s newsletter, The End of the Road.

I’ve received hundreds of emails from all over the world, detailing your creative projects, your struggles, and your achievements.

Some of you are just starting out, others are many decades into their creative journeys.

Some are proud of what they’ve achieved to date, others feel they need that extra push, one that I hope this community can provide.

I’m (slowly) working my way through all the emails and tracks, but if you’ve written in, thank you, you are so appreciated.

I’m writing this letter from beautiful Valencia, where I’m teaching students at Berklee College of Music.

It’s a strange feeling to be at the front of the lecture hall rather than in the crowd. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Music but never imagined I’d be a visiting lecturer.

Deep down, I am still the girl who hasn’t done her homework late on a Sunday night.

I’ve never particularly thought of myself as an authority on anything. I’ve always thought that once you proclaim yourself an expert, then you cease to be relatable.

It’s much more interesting to take people on a journey with you.

But preparing for these lectures has made me reflect on my life and career to date.

I didn’t get here on my own. I’ve been very lucky to have some exceptional teachers and mentors in my life, who’ve encouraged me, challenged me, and, yes, occasionally gave me a good dose of the stick rather than the carrot.

We all need that sometimes.

Teaching another person a skill, a trade, or sharing wisdom, is one of the most rewarding things we can do.

In a time when music education in schools and colleges, and the humanities in general, are being defunded, cut to the bone, and judged to be less valuable than STEM subjects because of the expected starting salary, it feels more important than ever to band together and share knowledge with one another.

I saw a study in the news a few days ago, that showed that the highest paid graduates (Medicine, Economics, etc) are also some of the saddest.

Those who studied creative arts also reported their choice of degree as having a negative impact on their wellbeing. But I think their problem is the difficulty in navigating a post-education landscape, or more simply, how to actually earn a living from the skills you’ve spent years developing.

Now, I don’t believe that art needs to be sold to be meaningful, or rewarding. But I do believe creativity should be rewarded. And it’s not always clear how that happens. You’re often left to fend for yourself.

When I was studying, I did not receive a single lecture or seminar on how to make money from music once I graduated. Not one. So, I’ve been making sure that these students at Berklee have a good grounding in ways of monetising their music.

Because sometimes you need a bite of carrot, rather than a dose of stick.

Frank Zappa (the original 21^st century musician) said, ‘Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.’

I’m still working on the second part. But I will be sure to share what I learn.

Mary

(Independent Artist of the week: Sidney Bos has reached the milestone of 1k subscribers on his YouTube channel by performing covers, but plans to release an original song each month from now on – and has also released his album, Wait For Me. Why not give him a listen.

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