Apparently Trying is Cool Again: How Artists are Leading the Way

That’s right kids: passion is IN!

There’s a reason my favorite song since 2020 has been “mirrorball” by Taylor Swift: I have indeed never been a natural and, truly, all I do is try, try, try.

This has long been a source of both insecurity and inspiration. It’s the drive to practice every day, write constantly, and get back up every time I make mistakes.

It’s also the chorus of worries in the back of my head, embarrassed to be seen trying and terrified that everybody else has it all figured out.

Though I didn’t realize it, the cultural pendulum has been pointing to the side of “cool”ness. Nonchalance. Trying? Cringe. Passion? Cringe. Unironically investing in anything? A cringy, cringy recipe for disappointment.

There was a moment in time where artists wore sweatshirts and hit whistle notes with bored expressions. Us audience members were expected to believe they rolled out of bed and performed a hit song like it was nothing.

Then, Taylor Swift went on the eras tour. She spoke in her interview with Time magazine about the hours she’s spent preparing for the tour: not just rehearsals, but exhausting amounts of exercise.

So, as it turned out, the breath control, the stamina, and the seemingly effortless marathon performance? None of that came out of nowhere and none of it came easy.

Of course, as a long time Swiftie, I knew that. I remembered when little Taylor Swift’s live vocals were, well, a little rough. She was still good back then, but her vocals didn’t improve miraculously. Over the course of her career, she worked, she learned, and she grew.

As she confessed in “mirrorball”, she tried and tried and tried.

Taylor has never tried to hide the amount of effort it took to become Taylor Swift. She’s spoken of critics that gave her something to prove, heartbreak that drove her to turn pain into poetry, and countless late night writing sessions.

But now, Taylor isn’t the only artist unafraid to try publicly. Now, we have Chappell Roan. We have Doechii.

I know I’m late to the party, but I’ve been thinking about Timothy Chalamet’s speech. The one where he confessed his passion as if it were something illicit.

And, in a way, it is. We expect people to become great without ever admitting they want it. Being caught trying, wanting, hoping—that’s just embarrassing.

Whether or not this mindset works well for anyone, it certainly doesn’t work for artists.

Passion is the point

When the cultural pendulum sways away from passion, us artists are at a disadvantage.

Nonchalance may look cooler, but most of us don’t get into creative pursuits to look cool. We do it because we’re passionate. Why else?

As a kid, I dreamed of performing because songs like “Mean” and “Long Live” played like movies in my mind. I wanted to play a part—no, I wanted to be the star!

In 2020, I tried my hand at writing songs because “folklore” bewitched me so completely, I became obsessed with the stories music could tell.

As a part-time restaurant host and a part-time wanna-be artist, it’s easy to turn shy. I mean, who am I to dream so big? Some weeks, getting practice before work feels like such a chore.

I turn off the keyboard and go to work. In no-slip shoes and a cheap blazer, I don’t feel very artistic. Once, during a slow shift, a coworker asked what my “big goal” as an artist is.

The question took me off guard, since we hadn’t even been talking about music. My face felt warm as I told her how badly I wanted to tour the world one day.

It felt like such a silly admission. Like when you ask a five year old, what do you wanna do when you grow up? They say something like astronaut or princess, and it’s cute, but you don’t take it seriously.

Here I am, twenty-one years old and still hopelessly dreaming.

But that’s the point, I remind myself. That’s the point!!! Nobody gets into the arts to be realistic. So often, our career choices seem to be “stable income and a decent lifestyle” or “art”.

Art, and all its uncertainty. All the trying and failing and relatives wondering when you’re gonna get a real job.

The trying part

Chappell Roan talked about the ten years of difficulty and doubt it took to get her where she is now. Doechii talked about the mantra of trying and failing that eventually brought her success. Timothy Chalamet admitted, on a hot mic, that he wants to be great.

But the cynic in me points out: they all said those things on stage. Accepting awards. They all waited to say that stuff until after it paid off.

I have to wonder: is it okay to openly try before we know I’ll make it?

What if I practice a piece for an hour a day and still mess up when I perform it? What if I spend entire months getting a song just right only to release it to crickets? What if I pay for piano lessons for years and I’m still just…average?

It’s all well and good to talk about the effort after you’ve won an award for it. Passion can be tolerated from someone who’s safely in the “made it” category.

But what about while you’re in the middle of trying?

I’ll always wonder what went through Chappell Roan’s head when she chose to return to music after her label dropped her. Learning to be an independent artist, making budget videos with her friends, and performing in hand-made clothes.

Yes, tacky is a part of the Chappell Roan persona. That lipstick was on her teeth intentionally. But the thrifted outfits and backyard photo shoots were also out of necessity.

She had no way of knowing that she was on the brink of making it. She decided to try again anyway.

I’m glad we’re getting back to embracing cringe again. Because being an artist is lowkey the cringiest.

Even the “big names” are kind of dorky. Jack Antonoff and his silly glasses, nerding out over synth-pop? Like it or not, that earnest passion is what brings us the hits.

Taylor Swift has always been the over-earnest dork, and that’s why she got picked on so much. It’s also what made the eras tour possible.

The Chappell Roan who got the entire Grammys audience to sing along to “Pink Pony Club” is the same artist who debuted the song at a free show in a park.

Then there’s people like me.

Last year, I celebrated the release of my first single with a series of tiny free shows. No one even showed up to the first one. It was just me and my thrown-together band of friends entertaining ourselves in 1920s costumes.

The last show was at my favorite local coffee shop. It had to be during their business hours, so I rolled up at 3 in the afternoon with my keyboard, a photo backdrop, and handmade friendship bracelets to give away. Sweating in my thrifted flapper dress, I lugged my equipment in and was almost immediately greeted by a little girl.

She didn’t know me and didn’t know about the show, but she got so excited when she saw me—a real live singer!

I can’t help but laugh looking back. I was the picture of cringe! Random local girl celebrates the release of a song no one’s heard of by singing in a flapper dress at a coffee shop. What a headline.

But it ended up being the closest to a “real” artist I’ve ever felt.

Because real artists embrace cringe. We embrace passion. We get out there and try. Even if it doesn’t work out, we try again. Even as our faces flush with embarrassment and our relatives wonder if we’re ever gonna grow up.

Maybe some people are naturals. But most of us? We just try, try, try.

Trying isn’t always trendy, but it’s always the artist’s way

The pendulum will swing back.

The sparkles and production of Chappell Roan performances will be called gaudy. Taylor Swift’s earnest effort will once again earn eye rolls. Doechii’s affirmations will be cringed at.

All of those artists will continue trying. Smaller artists will keep trying in the shadows, pouring their hearts into budget music videos and sweating in elaborate personas nobody gets yet.

The results don’t make all the effort cool in hindsight. Whether or not trying is currently trendy, passion will always be the artist’s way.

The most important thing these success stories have in common? They believe in themselves.

If your effort and passion are worth something after the pay off, they are worth something now. If I’m an artist in my flapper dress, I’m still that artist in my work clothes.

I just have a journey to go. Don’t we all?

I’m not gonna waste creative energy trying to cover up how much I care. Guess what?? I care! And that’s the point!! I do want the world tour. I do want the fun, sparkly outfits.

I’m not gonna wait for permission to try. I’m gonna try now, while it looks uncool, and maybe one day, that’ll be my success story.

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