You may know Ze Frank from his popular True Facts videos, in which he dubs clips of an animal species (a la National Geographic) with some true and some not-so-true facts. When he’s not providing voice-overs for dung beetles, he makes some pretty great videos about creativity.
‘Thoughts on a Creative Career’ has a lot of advice for those starting out, and reminders for those who’ve been at it for a while. Ze advises artists to consume a lot of different kinds of art, to learn how to take criticism, and to stop worrying about finding a voice.
He also talks about the importance of enjoying the art-making process. A warning to beginners: if you’re just starting out, you may not enjoy it right away. Don’t get discouraged immediately, because songwriting can be really challenging.
It is ‘hard fun:’ choosing the right notes and the right lyrics is often a painstaking puzzle. I think you know you love an art form when you find ‘hard fun’ more enjoyable than ‘easy fun:’ watching TV, browsing the internet, etc.
Embrace the hard fun and keep that writing coming!