Words

So, here's the thing. Whenever you put yourself out there, in the public eye, you are subject to criticism. In the wake of the conference I spoke at this past weekend, there was some feedback I received after the fact along the lines of "well why haven't WE ever heard of you", and "why should we listen to YOU about songwriting?". That sort of thing. Rather than get defensive, I simply outlined my (very real) credentials and also explained that I've been kicking around in this business for nearly 40 years, with varying degrees of success. Take it or leave it.

What I'm getting to is that, prior September 2006, words like that would have just torn me apart. I would have become upset, angry, defensive, insulted, and just plain petulant. But I had an experience around that time that forever changed and strengthened me. I was involved in a war of words, of sorts, regarding a message board I was running for a band I follow. It got incredibly ugly, and my name and reputation were slammed on an almost daily basis. Ugly lies got told, things I said were completely misconstrued, and I cried all the time. But do you know what? There is almost nothing anyone can say to me today that will destroy me like that again. I truly grew and learned from that experience, and developed the tough skin I need to survive as a songwriter. So, for that, I wish to thank everyone involved in that process.

"At the end of the day, no matter what they say, they're only words".
~lisa torch: "words" ~