Someone told me to stop composing forever

My dearest tortured composer,

I write to you today to tell you about a dark interaction I had on one of the most demonic places on the Internet. 

A place so vile that many have sworn it off entirely. 

A cess pool of vulgarity and despair that would make the average prison inmate feel like they were skipping through fields of flowers.

I’m talking of course about Facebook. 

And more specifically a comment someone left on one of my posts. 

A comment that left me confused.

But one that illustrates the main reason so many composers are stuck.

The person left the following random comment on a seemingly innocent post of mine: 

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“THE AGE OF COMPOSITION IS OVER!” 

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This was surprising to me. And it didn’t really seem to have a point. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to get me to stop composing.

Stop talking about composing.

Or to agree with him.

I suppose the age of composition could indeed be over. 

But based on people I speak with, and just scouring the Internet, there are still MANY people that compose.

In fact there may be more people composing today than at any point in history.

I suppose the “Age of Composition” could be over.

There are not lords funding composers and acting as patrons.

And probably in regards to some academic term relating to a certain era of history, the “Age of Composition” may indeed be over.

As I continued perusing the Internet, I came across a post on X that seemed to express the same sentiment.

It was an anonymous account. They had posted a picture of an ornate door knob. It was fancy and clearly made by the hands of a craftsman. This image had a caption that read:

“Back when we used to make things that were beautiful.”

To which someone then replied:

“You can buy these on Etsy for like $20. There’s tons of people making these exact door knobs still.”

I’m sure you may be aware of this growing trend. People lamenting the fact that culture has decayed.

Claiming that we are in a cultural slumber and that nothing new has been created.

As you can see from the post above, you can still get the door knob in question. You can still get many finely crafted things like that door knob for cheap.

And yet people act as if all creativity is dead.

There are a number of accounts like the door knob one mentioned above that make this point over and over and over.

And what do these accounts tend to have in common?

They are run by people that are not making anything.

They are run by people that, in my opinion, are probably stuck artists themselves.

Are many movies just spin offs of originals? Yes.

Does much of the common pop culture seem trite and simple? Sure probably.

Is it one of the best times ever to be alive as an artist? Potentially.

What many people never consider is what it would have been like to be a creative person in the past.

For example, in Mozart’s age, if you wanted to be a musician there is high probability you would earn your living from a patron from either the church or the state.

You did not have a magical creative license to make whatever you wanted.

There were much stricter rules.

And also, if you wanted to experience the greatest works of the day, it would have been incredibly rare to hear them.

Think about how many people living in Beethoven’s time heard a single one of his symphonies.

They would have to hear it LIVE.

At least 99.9% of the population at the time would never have heard Beethoven’s works.

We have access to the entirety of recorded music.

Literally all of the greatest works can be heard. With multiple different recordings.

Compare this to Bach who walked 250 miles to hear a performance by Buxtehude.

To even get started with composing, you would have needed to find people that owned the instruments.

Now, you can download a free BBC symphonic orchestra from Spitfire and sample the sounds of an entire orchestra.

So here's my message to every tortured composer reading this:

While the pessimists are busy declaring art dead, YOU get to prove them wrong.

While they're lamenting on social media about cultural decay, YOU get to create something beautiful (and potentially highly profitable).

While they're romanticizing the past, YOU get to write the music that future generations may romanticize.

The age of composition isn't over. It may not have even started.

And honestly? Even if it was over, so what?

If composing brings meaning to your life... if it's something you look forward to... if it's something you can't stop doing... then keep going.

Let the pessimists complain on social media while you create.

Every piece you finish is proof that the creative spirit is alive and well.

And if you feel called to create but you're stuck...

I'm working on a new program where I'll be working 1-on-1 with a tiny handful of composers.

We'll identify your creative blocks, talk through what you've tried so far, and come up with a strategy for you to move forward with finding gigs or releasing original music.

Should be a good time. If you're interested, reply back with "I'm interested" and I’ll send you all the details.

And remember...

The world waits for your music...

Luke

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