I have a love/hate relationship with live performances.
What I love about them is that you get to feel the energy of the crowd. I love gauging the crowd’s reactions to my songs, and I love connecting with an audience. I love that performing enables you to meet other artists, who inspire you, and are inspiring in their own right. There are also some really cool venues that can inspire you too.
I do, however, feel that performing can be very monotonous. It lacks the level of creativity that you can have when writing a song at home, or when recording in a studio. My preference is for this level of intimacy – I like creating the most. Creating a song has always been a way for me to say how I felt when I didn’t know how to quite put it into words otherwise. It’s always been therapeutic for me, in a way.
Having just gotten back into performing after a few years off, I’m still getting used to the process, so perhaps this has something to do what my love/hate relationship as well. I’m still nervous on stage too (especially when I know people in the audience!).
Other musicians out there: do you prefer live performing or studio/songwriting time? What are your favorite elements of being a musician?