A Post About A Post

by Shaun Groves
3 Comment

I never do this – post about a post – one of my own posts – but…

Yesterday I wrote about a choice I feel must be made between pursuing a larger audience for my music via radio play, media coverage, album sales etc in order to get more kids sponsored through Compassion International OR writing music about the issues that draw me to Compassion’s work (poverty, justice, “the kingdom” etc) in order to empower and inspire a (much much) smaller audience to spread the word about Compassion International.

I asked for your thoughts.

What happened next surprised me.  You guys had a lot to say and it was all great reading and thought provoking for me.  I didn’t expect so many people to have an opinion, much less share them so freely and with so much detail and passion. Thank you. But.

But I want to be clear that

  • I do not make important decisions about the direction of my life or work based solely or even mostly upon comments left on this blog.  I value the input but I there are people who know me and my circumstances and abilities better than you guys can reading my words here and those people have most of the influence in my life.  The chief of those being my wife.  Next in line being my friend Brian.  And then there’s the fortune teller with the bones and that bowl and the chicken blood…
  • I have already decided what direction I’d like to take.  (Whether or not I’ll be able to pull it off is another thing.) I thought, among other things, that it would be fruitful conversation to let you guys in on what is thought through sometimes before creating and find out if I’m the only one asking these sorts of questions about my work and life, the only one who wonders what greater good can come out of “success” or “failure.” I, like you probably, wonder if I’m the only one like me – the only one dented in these places.  Revealing those dents publicly has far more to do with feeling less alone than it does getting the dents fixed.  For me anyway.
  • Asking God for advice does not rule out the possibility of getting good advice from real live humans, since God has a habit of speaking through tongues and computer keyboards.
  • I don’t think there is anything morally wrong with making music that a large number of people want to purchase.
  • I don’t think there is anything wrong with making music a small number of people want to purchase.
  • I don’t think the choice is an either/or one, though, to be fair, I didn’t say that in the post.  I only gave two options.  But I think it’s a both/and thing.  And I’m glad some of you see it the same way.

    • Thanks for all your input.  And keep posting it if you have it.  It’s made me think even harder about a choice I already thought long and hard about before making.  Second thoughts are healthy aren’t they?

    I value you guys tremendously.  I feel less strange when we talk like this through this strange thing called SHLOG.  And I feel like I have someone cheering for me, caring about what I do and how I do it.  Some days that kicks me out of the gear I’m stuck in.  Thanks for that.