one thing you need

My dearest Tortured Composer, 

I want to write to you today to discuss one of the things so many composing courses never consider.

I found this quote and I felt it to be incredibly important:

To fail to experience gratitude when walking through the corridors of the Metropolitan Museum, when listening to the music of Bach or Beethoven, when exercising our freedom to speak, or... to give, or withhold, our assent, is to fail to recognize how much we have received from the great wellsprings of human talent and concern that gave us Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, our parents, our friends.

We need a rebirth of gratitude for those who have cared for us, living and, mostly, dead. The high moments of our way of life are their gifts to us. We must remember them in our thoughts and in our prayers; and in our deeds.

-Roger Scruton

It is amazing to think of how much we have as composers today that many composers of the past could only dream about.

We have the entirety of written music in our pockets. We can find sheet music to basically anything we want at the click of a button.

Our studies can be made easier by taking lessons via Zoom or spending a small amount on a course. And much of the information we could ever want is on Youtube for free.

We can see the greatest symphonies of the world perform the best pieces of music ever written.

Compare that with Bach, who walked over 250 miles from Arnstadt to Lübeck, Germany, to meet and study with the famous Danish-German organist and composer Dieterich Buxtehude.

Consider the thoughts going through this head on that journey!

And how long it must have taken.

250 miles for one performance. And by foot!

Is it tough to make a living today? Sure.

Is it hard to find work? You bet.

But we do have some incredible benefits. The benefit of being able to experience some of the greatest music ever written.

Consider that probably 99% of the population that was alive during Beethoven’s life would never have heard any of his symphonies performed.

We can see it performed and recorded by some of the world’s best orchestras.

Now, positivity and gratitude stuff like this can sometimes annoy me.

Cool thanks! Be grateful! Never heard that before.

But every time I try to ignore gratitude or think of it as too simple, it is as if the wheels fall off.

Gratitude can be one of the most essential qualities to have as a composer.

And don't just take my word for it. There’s some science backing this up.

Consider this: a long-term study, known as the Nun Study, analyzed the handwritten autobiographies of Catholic sisters written in their early twenties.

Researchers discovered that those who expressed ANY level of positive emotion—including gratitude—lived, on average, up to 6-10 years longer than their less expressive peers.

The difference was so stark that researchers found for every 1% increase in positive emotional content, there was a 1.4% decrease in mortality rate.

This staggering difference highlights the huge influence positive emotions can have over one's lifespan.

Positive emotions, like gratitude, don't just affect how we feel—they shape our entire lives

If you're still not convinced, there’s even more science.

Dr. Martin Seligman found that people who wrote down three good things that happened to them each night saw a massive shift.

Doing this for just one week produce a lasting increase in their happiness and positive emotions—often going beyond the positive impact of having their salary doubled.

Gratitude isn't just a 'nice-to-have' quality—it can shift everything about our lives.

For a tortured composer, being grateful can deepen your connection to your music, open new pathways to creativity, and bring renewed joy to every note and phrase you write.

Now do I trust all the studies like this? No. I definitely don't. They can be subjective and not end up being true.

But I've tried this myself, and it works wonders.

And there's an interesting explanation for why this might be happening.

Researcher Barbara Frederickson discovered something fascinating about how positive emotions affect our minds.

She found that when we're in a positive state, our brain actually processes information differently. She calls it the "broaden and build" effect.

Think of it like this: When you're feeling negative, your brain narrows its focus - like tunnel vision.

But when you're feeling grateful and positive, your awareness expands. You start noticing more opportunities. More possibilities. More potential in your music.

It's like switching from a flashlight to a floodlight.

This isn't just theory - I've experienced it myself.

When I practice gratitude, it becomes way easier to write music.

Opportunities for work seem to appear more frequently. Creative solutions come more naturally.

So if you're feeling stuck, try this simple exercise: Write down three good things that happened to you during the day. See if it doesn't have a huge impact on your music.

If you sit down and tell yourself things like:

“It’s impossible to make a living with music today”

“I’m never going to be successful”

“There’s no point in even writing today”

You’re going to have a tough time moving forward!

But if you’ve got thoughts like:

“I’m living in one of the best times ever to be a lover and creator of music!”

“I can study the vast majority of the best scores and performances ever. Something that many composers of the past would have literally walked over 250 miles to see.”

“I have the opportunity to create something today that could touch someone’s life in a way they'll never forget.”

“If I stick with this, some amazing things could happen that I can’t yet predict.”

It will be so much easier to compose!

And you’ll feel way less tortured.

Give it a shot, and remember…

The world waits for your music…

Luke

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