We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mattea Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mattea, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
One of the most uplifting discoveries that helped me in my career was realizing that I had confidence and self esteem all a long. I just had to get out of my own way in order to see it. It’s easy to compare ourselves, and think and feel negatively, so I would say step one is to change your language in order to change your perspective. Language is very powerful and so are our thoughts. One day, I wrote a concert band piece that I was really proud of, and I told myself out loud “wow, I’m really proud of how this turned out! This music is magical!” When I started changing my language and celebrating my successes the way a best friend would, confidence and self esteem came easily. If you’re also an artist, you can do the following two exercises.
Number 1: Separate the artist from the art; you are not your art but rather your art is an expression that you and ONLY you have the power to manifest for others to experience in the way that you do because you are the only person who sees the world through your specific lens. Your individuality and thoughts are your super power and comparison is its kryptonite. Be sure to remember that even if a piece of art doesn’t turn out the way you planned, or you miss an opportunity, there are SO MANY other things that make you, you and you deserve to be confident regardless. Simply by nature of being, just like everyone else in your field.
Number 2: Curate a portfolio (or look through the one you already have); Sometimes when we are super focused on the work we are doing in the moment, especially if it’s really hard work, we forget about all the work we have already done and how far we’ve come. Take time to look back at all of your successes and failures remembering highlights and everything you have learned/been through. You might surprise yourself, you have probably achieved more amazing things than you think you have. Hold your past self with grace so that the person you are today can move forward knowing you are now more knowledgeable, skilled, mature and you guessed it, confident!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a 27 year old composer who uses organic and found sounds in my music and a writer who loves Afro Futurism and fantasy. I was born in California’s Bay Area and I’m currently based in Napa. After graduating with my bachelor’s in music in 2019 and my master’s in music in 2021, I started my professional career in composition. I write mostly concert music, pieces for orchestra, wind band and choir. By exploring the intersection between modern composition and sound design, I am able to integrate organic sounds and extended instrument techniques into my music. I translate the sounds to written notation and create immersive sonic experiences that provide a mixed media approach to storytelling in the concert hall. My work is often based on themes of magic, nature and adventure.
My favorite part of my work is finding captivating solutions to unique musical problems. For example, in my piece “Rain Garden” for Orchestra, I wanted to figure out how to make it sound like it was raining inside while the music was playing. I gave the wind players tin cans to tap on, paired with brass players tapping on the bell of their instruments and rainstick and sheet metal in the percussion to create
gentle rain and thunder amidst the harmonic swell of the strings. My music can be heard on my website and if you play an instrument in an ensemble, there is a place to purchase scores/parts of my music so you can play it as well! It is important to me to write and publish grade level music in addition to my other projects so that young musicians have access to music by a living black woman composer in addition to the classics. I believes all musicians should have the opportunity to learn and perform repertoire that represents them and their community.
In addition to composing music, I have a love of reading and writing, so I thought why not combine my passions? In January of this year (2024) I began a passion project I have been thinking about for a long time: writing my debut novel, ‘Oscura, An Afro Futuristic Ghost Story.’ I plan to release this novel, first, in the form of an orchestrated audiobook. I have been recording the narration and writing a fully orchestrated score to accompany the story. If all goes well, I will be publishing the orchestrated audiobook of my debut novel this October!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Start. The ability to start is the most valuable skill you can master, especially as an artist. You don’t need permission to make art! Don’t get me wrong, it takes courage. People say it all the time, even Nike says “just do it” and that’s true! You’re never going to feel ready and its great to always keep learning but at a certain point, the best teacher in your field is simply the field itself. You have to start doing whatever it is you want to do. Don’t think too hard about it. Just. Start.
2. Focus & Discipline. Discipline will win over motivation. Every. Time. Pick a focus that sparks joy and stick to it 100 percent (even during the times where joy might not be in the room with us). When I first started, I got discouraged because I felt like I wasn’t progressing and what I was doing wasn’t yielding the results I wanted. So I scattered my focus. I started just trying a bunch of random things all at once, throwing spaghetti at the wall, waiting for something to stick. In reality, the reason I wasn’t seeing results was because I had just started! I gave up too soon. I found my focus and discipline again eventually, but I wish someone had told me “Just keep doing what you know how to do and you will learn what you need to along the way.”
3. Ask. The value of this quality is immeasurable. If you don’t ask for what you want, the chances of you just magically getting it are slim to none. Learn the appropriate, professional way to ask for things in your field that will help you to progress. In the book Million Dollar Weekend, author Noah Kagan once wrote something to the effect of “where you are and where you want to be are closer than you think.” I agree! Something that will help you get there faster is effectively communicating what you want to people who can provide that for you or at least help. If I want to work with the San Francisco Symphony, it can’t hurt to just ask. Otherwise, I’m just dreaming.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I used to feel overwhelmed constantly and I just recently within the last year started prioritizing rest as part of my productivity routine. I made a list of three goals, not for my career but rather for how I want my life to FEEL overall. When I feel overwhelmed, I refer back to this list and identify the things that are out of alignment with these goals. Then determine if those are things I truly just need to power through and if so, then so be it. Usually, however, there are are a few things that are unnecessary and then I can figure out how to get those things off of my plate.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.matteacomposition.com/
- Instagram: Watch Me Work here: https://www.instagram.com/orcha_stories/ Or, follow me for fun here: https://www.instagram.com/mattea.williams/
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattea.williams?lang=enSpotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/70LK0GcDGhwBOmrBnsaW5w?si=U0DGpRrkRpawyK6H2WddIw
Image Credits
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