Peter Himmelman & David Hollander – 8.2.12

Mike Ragogna: Do you have any advice for new artists?

Peter Himmelman: I guess it’s the same advice that I would give myself — and I won’t talk about delivery systems like Twitter or Facebook to advertise your music. But I suggest getting involved with a lot of activities that move you. Meet people and have conversations that you might not otherwise dare to have. Meet people that need help, help people, become inspired. Get your mind and heart into a condition in which you’re able to write something that no one’s ever written before. Then all of those delivery systems will avail themselves to you.

David Hollander: I’d like to add to that if I may. Gain all of that inspiration, then don’t circle around that stuff. Get out there and make your art. That’s something that we talk about a lot as friends and creators. There’s no joy in talking about it, and there’s no joy in listening to criticism. There is only joy in engaging in the craft, and the craft is the answer to all questions. It’s the only answer, in my opinion, having written as much as I’ve written and followed the arts for as long as I have now. My only enemies are self-doubt, laziness, and procrastination. Likewise, the only joy I’ve ever known is in the doing, not in getting paid or the repetition.