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Staying Composed: Overcoming Anxiety and Self-Doubt Within a Creative Life
All artists have doubts and anxieties. What are yours? Managing procrastination, anxiety, and creative blocks? Knowing how to trust your work? Dealing with other people? Balancing the need to push through to the end of a work while keeping your health and sanity? Handling rejection . . . and your own success? Dale Trumbore has faced each of these issues as a composer who achieved her own definition of success by age 30. Staying Overcoming Anxiety and Self-Doubt Within a Creative Life is her answer. With humor and understanding, Dale breaks down each obstacle to a creative career and presents workable strategies for a long-range, manageable, and meaningful life in the arts.
214 pages, Paperback
Published June 2, 2019
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99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 25, 2020
I had the pleasure of speaking with Dale about her book for a podcast I host. I told her this book should be mandatory reading for all undergraduate music students. Personally speaking, it would have saved me from a lot of unnecessary pain and self doubt when I was a student. The techniques and advice given by Dale help not only composers, but anyone in a creative life. Highly recommended!
June 14, 2019
A lovely book packed with practical advice on how to be kind to yourself and stay (somewhat) sane as a composer. This is the first time I’m writing a review on Goodreads, so my apologies that really it’s more of a list of some of my favorite parts of this wonderful book.
The chapter on how to consciously acknowledge and label the urge to distract yourself seemed especially helpful, since I don’t know how many times I’ve been composing and had an urge to check my email, or social media, or just make some tea, and then suddenly I’ve wasted a whole lot of time. “We can recognize an impulse to do something without following that impulse.” Theoretically, that seems entirely possible!
The simple advice to keep in touch with your work “even if it’s only in the smallest way, even on off days" is something that I'm certain will help me. So many times I’ve neglected a piece, and then a little neglect leads to a lot more neglect, and the longer I spend not working on the piece, the harder it is to get back into it. I love this strategy: “Ask yourself what work would feel mindlessly simple, then do that and only that.” I suppose that works for practicing and many other things as well as composing.
I enjoyed the chapter on viewing everything you write as a prototype. “Reminding yourself that a piece is allowed to be a prototype grants you freedom to take larger and more frequent in-the-moment creative risks.” I call each new composition an experiment rather than a prototype, and I like Trumbore's idea even better. “Some pieces exist only to teach you how to create better work later on. Let your creative process be a safe space in which to test out new ideas.”
One of my favorite quotes from the entire book sums up the author’s gentle and compassionate approach to creating art. “This is the beauty of recognizing that we might be creating an imperfect work and going on to create it anyway: our work captures us. When we look back at our past work, we must take that into account, judging it with tenderness for who we used to be. Don’t delay in creating the work you feel most compelled to create. Don’t make excuses and put it off until later. Let it capture who you are now, and your future work will capture who you are later in life. Trust your work to change and grow as you do.”
I don't know if I'm the only composer who sometimes gets jealous, but considering why you might be experiencing jealousy, and viewing it as a prescription for action is more lovely and useful advice.
Finally, Trumbore’s chapter on the “I need to do better than that feeling” made me laugh a little bit, because it made me realize that even if I write a bad composition, I could still be doing the world a service by inspiring others to compose, because others will hear it and think that they can definitely do better.
The chapter on how to consciously acknowledge and label the urge to distract yourself seemed especially helpful, since I don’t know how many times I’ve been composing and had an urge to check my email, or social media, or just make some tea, and then suddenly I’ve wasted a whole lot of time. “We can recognize an impulse to do something without following that impulse.” Theoretically, that seems entirely possible!
The simple advice to keep in touch with your work “even if it’s only in the smallest way, even on off days" is something that I'm certain will help me. So many times I’ve neglected a piece, and then a little neglect leads to a lot more neglect, and the longer I spend not working on the piece, the harder it is to get back into it. I love this strategy: “Ask yourself what work would feel mindlessly simple, then do that and only that.” I suppose that works for practicing and many other things as well as composing.
I enjoyed the chapter on viewing everything you write as a prototype. “Reminding yourself that a piece is allowed to be a prototype grants you freedom to take larger and more frequent in-the-moment creative risks.” I call each new composition an experiment rather than a prototype, and I like Trumbore's idea even better. “Some pieces exist only to teach you how to create better work later on. Let your creative process be a safe space in which to test out new ideas.”
One of my favorite quotes from the entire book sums up the author’s gentle and compassionate approach to creating art. “This is the beauty of recognizing that we might be creating an imperfect work and going on to create it anyway: our work captures us. When we look back at our past work, we must take that into account, judging it with tenderness for who we used to be. Don’t delay in creating the work you feel most compelled to create. Don’t make excuses and put it off until later. Let it capture who you are now, and your future work will capture who you are later in life. Trust your work to change and grow as you do.”
I don't know if I'm the only composer who sometimes gets jealous, but considering why you might be experiencing jealousy, and viewing it as a prescription for action is more lovely and useful advice.
Finally, Trumbore’s chapter on the “I need to do better than that feeling” made me laugh a little bit, because it made me realize that even if I write a bad composition, I could still be doing the world a service by inspiring others to compose, because others will hear it and think that they can definitely do better.
December 23, 2019
A lovely little book that I found some helpful pasaages in. Most of the specific ideas spring from the very basic (but very important) one that you've gotta take care of yourself. She's right. Thanks Dale!
February 22, 2020
This is a wonderful book for young composers and seasoned pros. A delightful read for musicians and non-musicians too. Very inspiring!
January 11, 2023
I started reading the hard copy a long time ago, got sidetracked, and misplaced it! So recently I started over with the audiobook. Listening to it felt like hanging out with a wise and supportive friend. I’ll return to this book whenever I experience the various crises of faith that come with a creative career.
July 31, 2019
While I am not a composer, I am a music-maker and creator of art, and this book is a GREAT tool for anyone who lives a creative life. It touches on many aspects of an artistic life: deadlines, self-doubt, avoiding burnout, creating space to breathe, when a project isn't a right fit, when it IS, and how to navigate through all of these situations. The chapters are super short (1-2 pages each) so there is always time for you to pick up the book and read just one chapter. Full of great tips, analogies, and life lessons that I will take with me as a performer and educator.
June 19, 2019
Inspiring!
I love this, and I will need to read it again. And again. Each chapter is the perfect length to just soak in what Dale writes, and process it. I found myself identifying with many of the anxieties and obstacles she describes, and came away encouraged and motivated. Thank you for this amazing book, Dale!
I love this, and I will need to read it again. And again. Each chapter is the perfect length to just soak in what Dale writes, and process it. I found myself identifying with many of the anxieties and obstacles she describes, and came away encouraged and motivated. Thank you for this amazing book, Dale!
June 19, 2019
As someone who does not work in a creative field (although creativity can be used anywhere), this book allowed me to pick up useful advice about self-care in general. I especially enjoyed the connections made between Trumbore's process and real-life events and concerns with anxieties, as it informs us that there's someone out there who is successful and also HUMAN.
July 24, 2019
Uplifting and practical advice
Reading this book is like reading a series of really insightful letters from a good friend who knows me well. Dale Trumbore’s honest and earnest advice makes me feel like my own self-doubt isn’t nearly as insurmountable as I believed.
Reading this book is like reading a series of really insightful letters from a good friend who knows me well. Dale Trumbore’s honest and earnest advice makes me feel like my own self-doubt isn’t nearly as insurmountable as I believed.
January 16, 2020
Full of actionable advice for any creative type this book helps guide the user through ways to live a healthy and creative life, especially if you are involved in composition and choir music.
February 4, 2025
Positive, practical advice for staying grounded in the creative fields. Dale has been a model composer and role model for many years, and her level headedness makes this book feel like a beacon.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews