A composer trains. Prepares for the big event. Gets their shot. Runs hard. Pushes off. Flies high. Clears a mighty goal. Lands triumphantly. Wins. Soaks in the glory. Has it made from then on out.
That is how many composers imagine careers work.
They envision their path as a pole vault where clearing one giant obstacle equates to having a career.
It does not.
When the pole vaulter lands that event is over. It is a triumph.
But a victory is not a career.
A career for a media composer is running hurdles. A lengthy race of jumping over an endless series of obstacles.
No matter where you are in this race there are no stretches where there are not more hurdles to overcome.
Think of all of the one-hit wonders one hears on the radio. Those are pole vaulters who scaled the heights, landed and we’re not able to parlay that victory into something ongoing.
Think of those. composers who came out of the gate with a huge opportunity and failed to figure out how to turn that into a long term career. They were pole vaulters.
One of the key reasons they soared landed and never moved further is they didn’t really understand what event they were playing.
The had their eyes on one huge goal and assumed if they somehow cleared it, they were set. (And if they never got to that goal or if they didn’t overcome it, they failed.)
Reality is that no matter where a composer is at any given moment, they are actually somewhere in their own hurdle race.
Every day is about identifying, facing and overcoming that next obstacle.
The wise composers assume that their career is something that unfolds over decades. They work it with an expectation of constant hurdles before them.
I have worked with composers very early in their careers and with those who have soared incredible heights.
They all have obstacles to overcome on a constant basis.
Sometimes it’s getting established. Sometimes it’s building new relationships. Sometimes it’s landing better projects or a greater variety of genres.
Those hurdles can be keeping up and ahead of trends, improving communication and interactions, finding a stronger and more varied musical voice.
The obstacles can consist of not losing ground, staying relevant, repairing burnt bridges, redefining and reinventing oneself.
The challenges can be overcoming biases, fixing misconceptions, changing one’s own mindset.
The list is infinite.
Running this requires a great deal of determination and stamina.
Look at the legs of an Olympic hurdle racer. Think of all the sacrifices and relentless training that went into developing those powerful muscles.
Stare at their faces. What do you see?
Focus. Clarity. Drive. Determination.
They stare down those hurdles. Not to wish then away, but to conquer them.
Where are you in your career?
What are your next sets of hurdles?
How are you going to clear them?
