Sound Check with... Stephen Kellogg
The Myth of the Starving Artist
By: Stephen Kellogg
Massachusetts native Stephen Kellogg has been touring consistently across the U.S., introducing his music to the masses and garnering quite a fan base through his prolific music, comedic stage presence and a sincerity that is not often found in today's music industry. This young rocker has teamed up with Brian Factor and Keith Karlson to form Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, and they will release their Universal/Foundations Records self-titled debut on February 15. Here, Kellogg gives us the advice that many of us desperately need to hear, and we can be thankful that Stephen Kellogg himself followed this advice and that today he is making great music and sharing that with us.
My uncle Warren is a painter. He paints portraits and murals
of people and events. Not the kind of cheesy
stuff they sell down in Naples, FL to vacationing rich
people or the Beverly Hills Gallery brand where artists are hired to
make subjects look as they wish to be seen, rather then as they really
are. He paints on his own terms and though it's taken more then three
decades, his portraits don't sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars,
they go for tens of thousands of dollars. On top of that he has the
good
fortune to sell lots of them, thereby dispelling the myth of the
starving artist.
When I was 19 I asked him if he always knew he was good enough to be
artist for a living (having serious doubts of my own on whether or
not I could ever "make it" in the music business). He shared something with me
that I'd like to share with you. Future Rock Stars, MovieDirectors,
TV personalities and artists of all walks listen up...He said:
"It's not about talent. It's not about being better then
the
others. Being an artist is about not being able to do anything else.
Time and again choosing the artist route, because you can't possibly
see any other way."
That advice has done me in good stead. I think it's
easy to overlook
the reality that being an artist is like any other job. It takes time
to develop your business, but if you stay with it and keep getting
better
at it, eventually it's inevitable that you will succeed. The
thing to bear in mind is this: for some reason when it comes to the
arts, there is a lot of influence from what
many folks dreadfully like to call "the real world". Going through
high school and college, people, (usually overly concerned,
conservative or pessimistic adults) ask you "What are you really gonna
do?,” "What's your real job?" or even worse, they feel the need to say
"That's
a tough living", after you've been kind enough to inform them
of your plans. As if they've actually worked in the movies or as a
musician or actress.
With this kind of feedback, it's very easy to get discouraged, but the
truth is that the people who will end up being the next batch of great
artists aren't the most talented, but the most persistent. Those who
are steadfastly resolved to do their art. I can only speak from
experience when I point out that many people far more talented then
myself,
have done away with their artistic inclinations because it
wasn't a lifestyle they pursued. Some have done this willingly and some
are still trapped by the illusion that they "had to give it up."
Of course, being resolved doesn't just mean telling your parents and
friends, "I'm an artist." It means not making it a blockbuster night
when you're supposed to practice. It means missing the fun-nest party
of the semester cause you've got work to do. Not getting drunk the
night before the big audition. Being ok with paying dues, whether that
entails
getting up at 3AM and doing 15 hours for a hundred bucks,
washing dishes in the morning so you can paint at night, sleeping at
Econo Lodges while you try to "break" your band or all of the above. It
means telling your best friend, you can't attend their wedding because
of work commitments (how's that for brutal). The payoff is that you'll
enjoy your job and the next time someone asks, what your job is, you
have the privilege of telling them, "I'm an artist." If you keep it
moving along, you'll also have the benefit of not starving in the
process cause it's ok to make money. Otherwise you'd have less time for
the art...but that's a whole other essay.
For more information on Stephen Kellogg, visit www.stephenkellogg.com
Hear some previews from Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers upcoming album.
