Hustle & Grind…or don’t

Hustle and Grind culture is uniquely American. Our willingness to work is often a litmus test of our value whether you’re in a state bordering the pacific, the Atlantic or somewhere sandwiched between. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about hustle and grind culture and whether such an ethos serves us as creatives. 

There is an important part of the creative process that sort of demands us to do nothing. To sit down and think wild thoughts is part of our work. It is hard to ascribe a weekly schedule to such activities or clock-in and clock-out of such a mindset. And yet, it is essential. And though we schedule sessions, the divine spark of creativity does not always arrive on cue. It can be overworked or underworked and managing ourselves accordingly sometimes dictates that we work 12 hour days and at other times avoid work all together for weeks at a time. 

I then question where songwriting fits into a culture scheduled so intentionally around 9-5 protocols. Publishers often schedule nubile and established writers as they would any other worker. Daily writes are a part of the corporate machine. But is this really the best way to nourish talent? Does this permit different types of artists to succeed? 

Of course, as you all know, I believe in the power of quantity - that 10,000 songs written will make you a better writer is not debatable. But, might more concentrated periods of practice or work on a single song not be the path forward for some? Might the hustle and grind culture of our modern day music industry snuff out voices that our world needs? 

I don’t have the answers but I am pondering these questions. I hope you will too.