destiny

I’ve been thinking about the concept of destiny lately.  Typically, I’ve thought of it in terms of an extrinsic force that draws you to where you’re going.  As I’ve read various people’s takes on finding your why, your purpose, or less often explicitly your destiny, I’ve come to believe that destiny is determined by our own unique circumstances and is a manifestation of those circumstances.  People, life, and the world at large can take money, loved ones, and your pride, but nothing can take the unique circumstances of your life--the sorrow, the pain, the joy, and the love. And no one can stop you from using these to make beautiful or joyful or terrible or haunting music. ​

*I recently finished The Artist's Journey by Steven Pressfield.  It may not give you a map to success, but it can help put the trials any artist goes through in perspective.