Remember why you started

Detail from “Calaveras de los Peregrinos” (Skeletons of the Pilgrims), by Jose Guadalupe Posada

A friend told me about a musician’s decision to return to alt-country after releasing an experimental album. “It’s what her fans expect. She’s got to make money, you know.”

I felt disquiet. She was more drawn to experimental music.

Later I read this:

“Never play to the gallery....Always remember that the reason that you initially started working was that there was something inside yourself that you felt that if you could manifest in some way, you would understand more about yourself and how you co-exist with the rest of society....I think it’s terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations.” —David Bowie