When It’s Easy It's Just That: EASY
title: When It’s Easy, Don’t Ruin It When things are clicking and when things are easy and when they sound good, as an artist, you need to learn to accept it. And know that every single ounce of anything in your body will really, really want to reject that.
Because it is supposed to be so hard and awful. Because, of course, I remember the times that it’s been hard, and completely take for granted the times that it has been easy.
I’m in a band that’s the second iteration of the band since I’ve been in it, and the third all-day. This iteration is working well. It’s fun. People are smiling and laughing. That wasn’t the case the last six months.
Something about it is really working/ on the rails. I think I know, but it doesn’t matter because I don’t look into it too much. You don’t want to look into it too much because once you start looking into it, then it just doesn’t. Finding out doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t make any difference at all to anything in the world.
So painting, music, poetry, crochet, cricket? I don’t know. If it’s easy, be grateful. Don’t then take it as permission to go and overcomplicate.
I think when you see people giving the most trite artistic advice in the world, no one is ever gonna ask me, “What’s one thing you wish you would have known X amount of years ago?”
I’m just not that person. No one cares. But damn it, if they ever ask, this' what I’m going to say: When it’s easy and it’s working, be grateful for it.
Do not try to remember. Do not give yourself additional assignments over it. Just be happy.
And make sure you’re enjoying it while it’s a thing, because it’s not always going to be easy.
But easy comes back.
This art stuff is hard.
It doesn’t have to be hard all the time.