Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
"You can't be a classical musician AND make experimental noise music AND work with electronics," they said. "People won't know what to expect from you."
I’ve been advised in the past to essentially “pick a lane” and commit.
And while there IS tremendous value in *committing* to your path, I’ve always been troubled by this idea of a siloed “lane”—a musical path that feels restricted rather than open.
The truth is, “my lane” is all of these things. The delightfully weird, surprising intersection between all of these parts of myself is what fuels my practice as a musician.
Choosing just one direction would be like muting 80% of myself.
And I’m pretty certain it’s not just me.
If I had to guess, I’d bet that YOUR creative practice is equally eclectic and unique.
Maybe you play electric guitar in a rock band AND like to make chaotic, feedback-driven music with synths.
Maybe you use counterpoint and super precise micro-tonality in your composition AND you love totally unscripted, wild improvisation.
➡️ PLEASE hear this: It’s 100% okay to be all aspects of yourself. ⬅️
It’s okay to teach classical piano AND make noise music.
It’s okay to be a performer AND a composer.
It’s okay to have days when creativity *flows* AND days where you don’t feel like creating.
It’s okay to have big, scary dreams AND to feel totally happy with where you are right now.
It’s okay to listen to your intuition AND to work with precise strategies and techniques.
It’s okay to be the teacher AND also to be the student.
The world has plenty of artists who do one thing really well. What it needs more of are artists brave enough to explore the spaces between genres, between disciplines, between the boxes everyone else is trying to fit into.
DM me if this is something you’re craving support with. Helping people integrate all the aspects of their brilliance into a cohesive creative practice is a big part of the work I do with clients inside of my creative mentorship program.
"You can't be a classical musician AND make experimental noise music AND work with electronics," they said. "People won't know what to expect from you."
I’ve been advised in the past to essentially “pick a lane” and commit.
And while there IS tremendous value in *committing* to your path, I’ve always been troubled by this idea of a siloed “lane”—a musical path that feels restricted rather than open.
The truth is, “my lane” is all of these things. The delightfully weird, surprising intersection between all of these parts of myself is what fuels my practice as a musician.
Choosing just one direction would be like muting 80% of myself.
And I’m pretty certain it’s not just me.
If I had to guess, I’d bet that YOUR creative practice is equally eclectic and unique.
Maybe you play electric guitar in a rock band AND like to make chaotic, feedback-driven music with synths.
Maybe you use counterpoint and super precise micro-tonality in your composition AND you love totally unscripted, wild improvisation.
➡️ PLEASE hear this: It’s 100% okay to be all aspects of yourself. ⬅️
It’s okay to teach classical piano AND make noise music.
It’s okay to be a performer AND a composer.
It’s okay to have days when creativity *flows* AND days where you don’t feel like creating.
It’s okay to have big, scary dreams AND to feel totally happy with where you are right now.
It’s okay to listen to your intuition AND to work with precise strategies and techniques.
It’s okay to be the teacher AND also to be the student.
The world has plenty of artists who do one thing really well. What it needs more of are artists brave enough to explore the spaces between genres, between disciplines, between the boxes everyone else is trying to fit into.
DM me if this is something you’re craving support with. Helping people integrate all the aspects of their brilliance into a cohesive creative practice is a big part of the work I do with clients inside of my creative mentorship program.
