Just be yourself
I heard an interview with the world-famous Swedish clarinetist Martin Fröst.
To be honest, I had never heard of him before. But I learned that he’s been described by The New York Times as having “a virtuosity and a musicianship unsurpassed by any clarinetist — perhaps any instrumentalist — in my memory”.
Known or not, the interview was fascinating. He’s an incredible person to listen to.
One of the questions he was asked was what it is that makes him often described as the greatest in his field. After a long pause, he replied:
“I don’t compare myself to others.”
He explained that this makes his sound unique, and also quite hard to imitate. He’s simply being himself, doing what he loves, in a way that feels right for him.
One could say that he’s reached the top by not reaching at all.
That mindset could be applied to almost any creative work. Then again, by even calling it a mindset, we’re already reaching — trying to be someone, to get somewhere.
To “just be yourself” is harder than it sounds.
Those who manage to do it bring beauty to the world. They add in ways others didn’t know were possible. They find what’s missing, because they’re not searching.
Thank you for being yourself.