Dear Visitors,
Thank you for being here. On this page, I want to share with you a few things about being an indie artist, including the purpose of my site, why I chose a subscription model for my music and what I ultimately want to give you as a member/subscriber. Please read this, and then you can decide whether you wish to subscribe to my content or not.
But first, let me tell you a story.
Back in the 1990s, I played classical music a lot, and I was the first violinist of a quartet formed by my violin teacher. I remember we were active for 4-5 years, and we played concerts in churches and local avenues in the city where we lived, and sometimes we even played in retirement homes. Then, one day, someone booked us for a private event, and each of us got like a hundred dollars for just one hour of performance.
I was so proud and happy. A hundred dollars was significant then for an hourly rate, and somehow I felt rewarded for my musical ability. But then, a question came into my mind that I still remember today:
"Is it really significant money if I also calculate all my hours of practice?"
It suddenly hit me that to be able to play at the event, I probably used at least 70 hours to practice the violin and then probably 20+ hours more where we played together as a quartet. So if I included my practice hours, the hourly rate would be less than someone with the lowest salary!
The experience somehow taught me the reality of being an indie artist, regardless of what kind of art we create. The earning power of the artist industry is like this:
Perhaps the experience has unconsciously cemented in me and made me believe that I should never try to earn a living with my music. But now that I'm much older and hopefully wiser, I've asked myself many questions about the topic. And it has led me to some very philosophical wonderings about human consciousness, the value of our society etc. So let me try to explain what I mean.
As humans, why do we need art? When we listen to music that makes us happy, calm, joyful etc., what are we feeding? For me, it's the soul.
Music, art, and any creative works are food for the soul; without them, we would feel less human, whole and fulfilled.
Still, despite years of practicing the craft, most professional artists belonging to the base of the picture above don't ever receive the recognition, earning, and not to mention respect that they too also deserve. We're living in a society where someone can earn 1000$ hourly after, e.g. ten years of working experience but not many professional artists can do so even after 20 years of practice and performance. From my perspective, it seems like we're living in a time where the well-being of the soul is not highly recognized, prioritized, and valued at a collective level.
If you have read this far, please know that what I'm sharing above is not a complaint. It's just a personal realization of "what-is", that's all. And, of course, it influences my choices about being an indie artist, and that's what I will share next.
I must admit that I admire artists/musicians who are active on social media, how they can pour out one piece of creative content after another to share on different platforms to build up a vast follower base and generate earnings from it. However, I honestly don't have the energy for it, even if I want to. It can take me 3-20+ hours to create one new post on this site. Writing a post takes 3-5 hours, depending on the subject (English is also not my mother tongue;)). Why 20+ hours, then? Well, if it's a new song, video, or audio, it can take that long or even weeks. When I have a song ready (which can take 30 minutes to... 5 years? Just saying ;)), I have to practice it for hours, and think of the composition and arrangement, and then practice, record, delete, record, edit, practice more, etc. And with my current situation where I have family responsibilities, there are days I have to wake up at 4/5 am to have time to work on my writing and music. So, with limited energy and time, choosing a subscription model to share my artistic works is the only option I can do and feel at peace with.
So, why should you subscribe?
Very simple, if my content speaks to your heart and soul, my site is the only place you can access it. My content is all about Authenticity, Intimacy, and Healing. It reflects my spiritual and creative journey, where I want to bring love, compassion, joy, healing, and beauty to you and the world. Whatever I want to share publicly, I do it here. To dive into my creative world, I need to withdraw from the masses, be silent and listen to my creative impulses. I need to sense, feel the beat in the rhythm, and hear the words slowly forming the lyrics inside me. My sensitivity makes it possible to create the music, but it also keeps me from engaging with the public through social media. As a result, only through this site can you experience my art and music. So, to learn more about me and my music, you can click on the Public Tag to access the public content. Alternatively, you can read a blog post and listen to one or two song demos I've selected for you below, to get an idea of my writing and musical style:
1) Why do I see myself as an artist of life?
Please note that the two songs above are "old" demos, meaning that they only reflect a fraction of my musical style and ability. I'm constantly evolving, so "expect the unexpected" when it comes to my future music production.
That's it. If my content is "food for your soul", I invite you to subscribe ;-). Thanks so much for being here and reading this far. I appreciate your presence, and I hope we can meet "inside".
With love and gratitude,
Elanor Zenna