The heart of creativity seems to lie in a spirit of giving. After all, there is no guarantee of a return for our work - money, acclaim, performances, a publishing deal - nothing is assured, so there must be reasons beyond that which drive us. Part of what drives me is habit - forty years of habitually getting up in the morning and working on projects for better or worse. Sometimes the projects pay off in a variety of ways and sometimes they land on the shelf only to stay there.
I used to blame myself sometimes if my music went nowhere. It seems I could do a better job of marketing my wares. But, as someone pointed out, you can't necessarily market your way to success. It doesn't hurt trying. And the spirit of giving can be a good reason to do your work; I often write for my friends who may perform and appreciate the music. The works that end up languishing, well, they may be regarded as practice and I always need practice.
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