A Question I Often Ask Myself

“Are you going to be a bassist, or an educated bassist?” - My Dad

This question used to annoy me, but as I matured I realized that it’s more insightful than I thought. My Dad may be unaware but I ask myself this question pretty often. It’s not that other bassists aren’t educated. (I use the term “educated” loosely since I think society forgot it’s true meaning.) Whether or not other bassists are stupid or smart is beside the point, rather, what it implies.

This question didn’t mean much until I started to ask it myself. Me asking me, honestly searching. What I immediately realized when I asked, “Will I be a bassist, or an educated bassist?” is that I have a choice. It’s all within my power to determine the outcome of the time I spend and in one sense that can be freeing, in another it may be stressful. With this realization I was brought to view time as valuable. It got me asking myself more questions about who I really want to be and mentally prioritizing what I value most.

I thought being a bassist was good enough, turns out there’s such a thing as competition. After discovering that I had a choice, I realized that it’s important to set yourself apart. You can call that a “niche” if you want to, but I think it’s more of a “necessity” - especially in the artistic industries. Now when I ask myself this question, I answer it with an action. It keeps me in check. I want to be an educated bassist, that’s why I choose to approach music entrepreneurially.