RECORDING January 2023 - 65

JANU ARY 2023
TAXI's Virtual Road Rally 2021
Using Rejection Productively With Arnold Bloch, LCSW
Part 2
Interviewed by Michael Laskow
Arnold Bloch: Michael, do you have any
questions?
Yeah, I do. I'm a person who likes to get things
done and taken care of. I want to know how
things turn out, NOW! Waiting to find out an
answer drives me crazy. How can people help deal
with the time element in the context of TAXI? That
guy who didn't get his song forwarded for the
$40,000 opportunity... How do you make the
time go faster, or how can members better deal
with the time it takes to find out about getting a
forward or not or things just not moving along
quickly enough while waiting to hear about a
placement?
Hmm. Yeah, that's a challenge. These are not
easy things, I want to say. But if you can make
peace with the fact at a very basic level that the
world doesn't have to cooperate with you, that
will help you a lot. And I find in working with
people, whether it's as a creative coach or as a
therapist, if I can remind them of that, they
can get to a state of more patience, which is
kind of what you are alluding to I think-
patience and acceptance. Acceptance is such a
big thing. Acceptance doesn't mean that you
stop growing, but it means that you understand
that you are not in control of everything, and
you might do really good work and it might still
" You will feel better if you remember
that it isn't really written in any universal
book of wisdom that the world
has to give you what you want right
now. "
-Arnold Bloch
not be exactly the right thing that TAXI [or the
client] was looking for. As I alluded to earlier,
that doesn't mean it isn't a great piece of
music. You can allow yourself to feel great
about what you created.
Michael Laskow and Arnold Bloch at the virtual Road Rally.
Patience is really a struggle with oneself, but
the part of oneself that really thinks that things
ought to be happening faster. And I find, and I
hope this makes sense, if you think of that as
the ego. The ego wants us to have as much control
as possible, it would like to control our
lives. But if we can accept the many things you
can't control, you are more libel then to have
patience. And if you keep working it, keep coming
back to your song, write new songs. I always
think it's a great idea to write about what is
right in front of you. Writing a song about how
difficult it is to wait for something that is so
meaningful to you, that could be your breakthrough
song.
So that's the way to be a creative person. Take
something that you are right in the middle of
and turn it into something and see what happens.
So that's the creative use of the
frustration that I think you are talking about.
But it's a hard thing for all of us. Not only in
songwriting but in anything in life. Trying to
find a good mate, being elected to a political
office, we do want what we want now. But I
think you will feel better if you remember that
it isn't really written in any universal book of
wisdom that the world has to give you what
you want right now.
Which is a little ironic. And I don't mean this to
put musicians down, but a lot of creative people
in general, not just musicians, think that there is
a sense of entitlement. Like, I work really hard at
this, and my friends and family love it; therefore,
everybody should. It's hard to have that sense of
entitlement and do what you're recommending.
Absolutely. And those people that were really
shining stars in their high school, maybe in the
high school band, high school choir, or a shining
star in their town, all of those people have
a very good reason for believing that what they
create is always top-notch. Then it's a big blow
when you encounter TAXI, who are at the high " If
it sticks, it's old. "
-Arnold Bloch
est professional level, saying your piece has to
really be top-notch in many, many ways.
Continued on page 66
RECORDING January 2023 65
RECORDING January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING January 2023
