Conversation with Musician Zenith (Part Two )

Life Designer with Jingyu Chen

All musicians are searching for their voice in music. The minute it’s found, the choice of living life with music becomes eternity. Zenith found her voice in music which is to make an emotional connection with her audiences.
As a musician, Zenith never shines away from performing confronting piece and she also fully embrace playing dreamy piece like La La Land. When delivering confronting pieces , musician should not overstep boundary between making an emotional connection and healing. As far as I consider it, it already takes a musician’s full strength to be completely vulnerable and to even brutally expose herself/himself to that excruciating pain that comes with that piece. When a musician goes beyond making connections and attempts to heal audiences’ trauma through music, it becomes a rather unprofessional, unsafe, and even arrogant act, as Zenith put it. I agree. I was trained at work in building professional boundaries when it comes to dealing with crisis cases. Empathy and compassion will not qualify you as a therapist and healing should be left to accreted professionals' hands.
We also extend into 'what’s underneath the façade’. When reaching a radical acceptance towards the complexity of humanity and an in-depth life experience, a artist may finally gain the liberation to choose the tone in their professional work ( only play La La Land, for example ). I also consider Zenith as the least judging person as her judgment is formulated through her endeavours to peel layers to reach a person’s inner core.
About pretentiousness: I got this concept from Ethan Hawk, one of my favourite actors. He said it’s ok that you are pretentious if you do it with a bit of humor. it means you are aspiring to something. You have to set up a goal for yourself. Zenith enjoys being accurate and objective about her reality but she sets up her strict personal standard and goal which she fiercely protects. With that pretentiousness at core, Musician’s creative desire comes within and the determination to reach their goals is unwavering.
About sensibility: Zenith reiterates the importance of not separating a discipline from the rest of the world. She said: If you have a basic level of knowledge about what’s going on around you, you will be more equipped to be better at doing what you are doing.
About authenticity: Her authenticity come downs to practice and grind her craft on daily. Zenith and I apply the same mindset and practice to navigate our life that is to keeping the promise we made with ourselves and holding ourselves accountable. Again, means and craft doesn’t matter, Human connection is real when what drive us is essentially identical .
Zinth is very grateful to get to do what she is passionate for. She has no intention to diminish importance of work-life balance but I do believe musician like Zenith or artists in general sustain their living through tireless and fearless creative pursuits. I just purely wish all creatives take good care of themselves ( eat well, sleep well, maybe add some exercise lol) for greater longevity leads up to longer creative span.
From receiving the very first few tracks sent by my friends ( Yo-Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone , Forever love by X-Japan.,) to encounter Zenith and document her music story, I feel it’s like a full circle of me. In the end , I want to tell all musicians out there Wherever you are standing now, at least you already connected to your inner art and hence you will never lose hope to live your life. Hans Zimmer said however much people discourage you, however hard it gets, at the end of day, it’s worth it. If you feel compelled to write music, then do it!

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