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I'm (no longer) mentally blocked and now we discuss learning Psy Trance!
(To the mods - I'm absolutely sorry in advance, but I feel I need to speak my piece in order to move forward creatively with my music.)
I've been pretty silent the past 3 or so weeks, but I'm breaking my silence. Just as I predicted, I eventually became stuck in a music creation rut.
What happened is I worked hard creating one of the most complex pieces of music I've created, and someone accused me of "cultural appropriation", "hurting others with my music", and they claimed "I wouldn't let my friends listen to your music".
This is the piece of music in question...
...originally titled "Genji", now titled "The Journey".
The thing is, I wasn't wearing another culture's traditional clothing nor speaking with a "funny accent" nor using derogatory words against another culture nor doing anything outright offensive. I wasn't setting out to hurt anyone. I simply made a piece of music out of my heart, and while most people gave it praise, someone simply had to go so far as to accuse me of wrongdoing and hurting others.
It's never good enough for some people, is it? They'd rather pick on little miniscule things rather than focus on REAL world issues such as actual systemic racism and other larger global conflicts.
I was able to push out a handful of other tracks since that post, but eventually those hurtful words got stuck in my head, and now I'm stuck. I'm on the Autism spectrum. I have ADHD. Being accused of something I didn't do easily messes with my head.
I've journalled about it. I've talked to my therapist about it. I've talked to a handful of friends outside of this forum about it. I just wish I knew how to move past this nonsense and get back to feeling the freedom to create that which I please.
To the accuser in question here, in short - instead of accusing me of hurting others, think about the words you say to me that could hurt and hinder me first! I process things differently in my brain than others do. I interalise things, and in turn it blocks me creatively. It wasn't constructive feedback about how I could improve my music. It was accusing me of doing something heinous.
And in the future if you don't like what I make, move past it and leave me alone!
EDIT: Fixed a typo.
EDIT 2: This discussion went from my immature rant into my growth as a person and now I'll be diving into Psy Trance! A monumental task I'm ready to take on as a producer! 😳😃 I'm excited for this new era!
Comments
just ignore all multi-cultural butthurt shit and do your music like you feel it ;-) There is too much people im the world ready to play butthurt victims, and life is too short to take a care
That’s what i do. Or i even make jokes from such people.
Do they sometimes react rhat i am dick ? Yes.
Do i care ? No.
Life is too short to live to other people expectations. Be yourself and do what you like. My life philosophy is to return back what i receive, just multiplied. If somebody is nice to me, I am nice to him 10x. Is somebody asshole ? I am too when interact with him, just 10x
Rule of multiplied feedback :-)
Ah. I was there for that. My two cents is take the bad with the good. You also received a handful of compliments for that tune. It doesn’t matter if you have 10 listeners or 100k. Think of it as a golden ratio of sorts. Just remember that not everyone who listens to your music has to be a fan. Same can be said about pop stars you don’t like. Sometimes they’re on the radio and you don’t feel like changing the station. 😺
[Edit] Even as a fan of certain artists, you won’t always like 100 % of they’r their output, and shit talk about that too 😄
You got it, JWM. Easy to say, but, be yourself, don’t worry about it have fun, do what’s in your heart and mind or don’t until it feels right. I understand a little how it feels to get fixated on the negative. But life is too short. I had 3 kids in the past 4 years and my best friend died in that time just before Covid. Your posts on here really helped me discover and fall in love with music during a challenging time. Now I don’t know what I’d do without it. Thank you
Amen!
Thanks mate.
Sometimes I just need to hear it from someone else.
Me, I could go the route of being 10x the jerk to the person in question, but honestly at the end of the day it isn't worth it really. I could be banned from here if I was to really snap on the person. And he was nice about his delivery of his nonsense, but still it messed with my head over the past three or so weeks. I gotta learn to not let things get to me, but every once in a while it just gets to me.
LOL! This is very true. There are some pop stars I don't care for, although sometimes I still end up liking a couple of their tracks. I hate to admit it, but I do like Taylor Swift's music, especially the "Taylor's Version" of her songs where she rerecorded her music, but her vocal performances are far more emotional and mature than say 10 years ago. Even then, I don't like all of her music, but "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "Blank Space" will always be classics to me.
Darn it, you made me misty-eyed but in a good way.
That really is one of the nicest things someone has ever said to me.
In fact you three have made me feel a lot better about this situation, and I feel like I'll be able to move past it finally.
You must make fun of those types. They call everything offensive just to evade debate.
Maybe demand reparations for your lost muse.
No one owns any music style, it just has a birthplace. Just go make it. You don't have to please anybody. Learning new things and making music when you ear something you like is called an influence. I'd be flattered if I invented a musical style and any people from anywhere wanted to make music like it. I didn't see the original interaction, and don't really care to. I'd just be like "sure" and move on. You can "gray rock" that kind of thing and just move on. Keep rollin.
JWM, it’s not your fault, never was and never will be. I’m so sorry you didn’t get satisfaction nor resolution after that unfortunate event. ‘Mojo’, ‘Muse’, ‘inspiration’ are just words, you need to put your hands on the instrument and start to play, forget about everything else.
We love your work, please keep them coming! 🤩
Hmmm, I could use an extra 100 quid for some new auv3 plugins. 🤔 Lol. 😂
Thanks mate. All of you are speaking the sound truth (pun somewhat intended).
And no I won't show the interaction since there is no point to dredging up that particular thread. Everything is succinctly explained here from the interactions in the thread to private interactions with the person themselves.
Thanks so much mate. ❤️ This means a lot to me. After my gig tonight I'll open NS2 and see what comes about.
Now I am offended. My muse is not just a word. It is a spirit!
Worth more then 100 quid per day.
Just posting to let you know I appreciate your music and you’re one of the nicest members here.
You obviously care about the concerns or you would not be affected by the criticism. I think that shows your heart is in the right place.
That being said the accusations sound like caca to me. Tell them you’ll stop using Japanese motifs or whatever when Japanese artists stop playing rock and hip hop music (a ridiculous notion). I guess some people think we should all stay isolated in our corner of the world and never have a cultural exchange.
P.S. Next time you should definitely wear a kimono. Pictures or it didn’t happen.
This may sound off topic but rest is great. Rest is not sleep. Rest is taking a moment from the normal flow to do something else worthwhile. Great brain health activity. Then you come back refreshed!
Let the feedback float by, don’t beat yourself up 🙏🏻
I read the OG thread. Obviously I didn't see any of the PMs. Every single person in that thread was polite, positive, and informative. There were no insults, just respectfully written opinions.
I enjoyed the music very much. But this thread is confusing. It's ok for JWM to feel hurt by the responses he got from posting his track, and he is encouraged to express that, he is not called "butthurt". But anyone feeling uncomfortable about the track title or artwork is not allowed to express their feelings? "You must make fun of those types"??? Who is actually doing the cancelling here?
Cancel culture has existed for a loooong time in the US. Remember the time when American consevatives tried to cancel Sesame Street for being too "gay" and Americans could be fired or imprisoned for being gay? That was just over a decade ago. Conservatives invented the cancelling strategy. It's wrong, it's always been wrong. We are all living in a time of backlash. The chickens have come home to roost. It sucks, doesn't it?
It's a good time to listen and learn.
I’m sorry you’re having a rough time my friend. I hope this rest allows you to come back better than ever ❤️
I love all the work you post here and you’re one of the ones that make the forums here what it is. Always love seeing your name pop up in the creations section. It can be just as hard to give critiques as it is to take them and some people just aren’t good at giving criticism. I didn’t find it offensive at all, and music really transcends cultural boundaries (within reason of course).
@jwmmakerofmusic I'm sorry to hear that you were upset by the discussion that took place. I understand that as an autistic person you might not process feedback like other people do.
As someone who read the thread in question, and also participated in the discussion may I just clarify a couple of things:
The person you are talking about wasn't trying to offend you or upset you, they were trying to point something out that may not be obvious to westerners (this person lives in Japan). Their comments were not about cultural appropriation, they were simply pointing out that mixing up two completely separate cultures, Chinese and Japanese cultures in this case, is offensive to people from those cultures. As I said at the time: imagine releasing an irish jig with a Union Jack as the cover art - trust me, people would go apeshit.
If you recall, a Japanese member of the forum was grateful that this had been pointed out and discussed. No-one was trying to criticise you or to hurt your feelings - they were simply trying to point out something that you may not have been aware of. To many westerners Chinese and Japanese culture may seem interchangeable, but to people who come from China and Japan this is most definitely not the case.
But most importantly: the person who made the comment actually praised your music, and said how good the track was. I also think the track is great as it happens. It's a shame that what could have been a constructive discussion has taken this negative turn, and I really hope you can find a way to put this all behind you. I am absolutely certain that there was never any intent to hurt your feelings or to imply that you were a bad person, or a bigot of any kind. It's just crossed wires from what I can tell.
(Edit) the issue wasn’t actually with the music, it was the artwork and the title - the music was Chinese influenced and the artwork and title were Japanese-themed.
Definitely don’t let someone else try to stop you doing what you do - music is much more than its origins, and is enriched by going through cultural filters.
Although I wouldn’t suggest pushing back hard the other way and straying into offensive behavior. There’s always a balance, and listening to people who truly have a reason to be offended and ignoring those who feel they should be self-appointed police for any real or imagined insult is a good path to take.
With music, follow whatever path you like. Music styles should belong to everyone. The only issues should be if you plagiarize and try to call someone else’s work your own.
@jwmmakerofmusic : f* em if they can’t take it. Performative wokeness from any quarter has the capacity in this hellscape of social media we call modern life to damage real people. And I speak as part of a ‘community’ some of whose members are the worst offenders in that category. Like insisting an actor has to represent in their own life the circumstances of the person they play, or an author to have experienced the cultural milieu or gender or whatever of their characters before they can write them, it is all… performative… bollocks.
The difference between crass cultural appropriation and art, the only yardstick that matters, is the quality of the work and the intention of the spirit behind it. Should Daniel Defoe never have written Moll Flanders because he wasn’t actually a female prostitute and thief? Should Virginia Woolf never have written Orlando because she wasn’t actually a time travelling trans person? Or Angela Carter Nights At The Circus because she wasn’t actually a winged circus performer? Richard Adams, Watership Down because he wasn’t a rabbit? Nonsense, on stilts.
Worse, it acts as smokescreen and useful camouflage for the real nasty targeted stuff that actually is aimed at the ‘trans community’, the ‘black community’, the ‘female community’, etcetera. That faux naive ‘I was only being ironic’ get out clause adopted by 4 Chan and Proud Boys and all the other dog whistlers we have to endure in these dying days.
Performative wokeness, by seeking to blur the lines between what is really important, what really is 21st century blackface and what is honestly intentioned acts of imagination and creativity is a weapon given into the hands of our enemies by those who claim to be our friends.
Ignore it. Ignore them. If they have upset you, block them on your feed of the forum. Don’t tell them, don’t tell the forum, just do it, quietly, without drama. I have done this with people I choose no longer to engage with.
It works.
Do your thing. And damn the torpedos.
Art takes no prisoners. And it cannot - must not - be a hostage either.
Cultural appropriation is a suspect category to begin with, and absolutely meaningless in the realm of music. Screw ‘em. Be inspired and make stuff.
I’m mentally blocked myself and also disable but you know what I keep trucking. My music might be terrible now but I know it used to be great. Maybe I have no idea so what if I don’t, I’m having fun on iOS
And then the gift of an actual synthesizer made me stop wondering and let go to let the music speak for itself
Let it open your heart and let that speak to others
If it does great , If not you did something
And your music is excellent
I wish. I could produce like that
Just to clarify: the original discussion was nothing to do with "wokeness" or any of that stuff. It was specifically about conflating two separate cultures.
Here is the post, you can judge for yourselves:
@jwmmakerofmusic you are a great contributor to this place. I hope you get your muse back soon. I will be listening. When you do. 🎧
FUCK ‘EM..
To everyone else, thank you so much for your wonderful kind words. I'll try to reply to you all once I'm home.
@richardyot
I respect you as a musician and a person, but while the person in question was nice about it, he did accuse me of cultural appropriation and said he wouldn't let any of his friends listen to it. In PMs he mentioned that I'm unintentionally hurting people.
See the words in bold italics and tell me he wasn't accusing me of cultural appropriation!
I actually forgot he equated the word "Asian" to a word steeped in a dark history of slavery and racism, but there's that as well.
And then he went on and degraded my efforts with "The Journey" by saying I shine better with the quick and cheaply made minimal techno than I did with a full scale production.
And it was in PMs where he said I'm hurting other people.
Honestly you rehashing his post this brings back all those negative feelings I felt when he first posted that. But you know something? He is WRONG! 😡 I will NOT be controlled anymore! I WILL make whatever I please, and those of you who don't like it can feel free to put me on your ignore list and leave me be!
@jwmmakerofmusic if the person is saying that you may be unintentionally offending people, then clearly they are not accusing you of any wrongdoing or evil intent, they are simply trying to point out something you may not have been aware of.
And I am certain that there was never any intention to hurt your feelings or criticise you or your work, or indeed to control you. I really think this is very much all a misunderstanding.
Perhaps it is, but it did affect me rather negatively as you see above. 😮💨
And I’m truly sorry to hear that. I’m sure the person you are discussing will be here to clarify and clear the air.
Reposting my comment when @JohnnyGoodyear was having concerns with a similar scenario here..
I thought we cleared this on MP ?
We exchange a lot about our own personal things, you shared with me about your condition and very personal things that happened in your life recently and I also shared personal things too ! I am not sure what else is to be said.
You're a great producer Jim, this, I also told you many times on this forum. I am sorry if your condition makes your extremely sensitive to other people words. For this specific topic, my words were harsh but I stand by them. Please keep in mind that a Japanese national forum member even dared to step up to confirm what @richardyot and I mentioned. This is rare enough to give food for thoughts.
There was absolutely nothing personal against you. You are free to create. People are free to have opinion. Sometimes we can get hurt on the way. But that's life. Please be aware of other people's opinion but at the same time please don't let those get too much on your system. please move on. You're hurting yourself for something that shouldn't. Get your mojo back and please keep going on your creative journey.
And speak with funny accent !! I love culturally inappropriate performances 😂😂😂 Probably because my accent is absolutely horrible east-european gibberish 🤣
A kimono and a Texan drawl like Moss in No Country For Old Men
jeeez 🤣🤣🤣🤣