Last night I found myself in need of something tall and hot! Oh pipe down I meant a large latte, extra shot. Anyhow, I needed to stay up to make headway on a project with a producer friend of mine so I went out to grab one at a local coffee joint. After a group of teeny boppers and one grumpy decaf-er later, I was next in line to receive my fix. The chick over the counter decided (by the Christmas season gods I suppose) to break out into John Legend holiday lyrics, show tune style. Initially, I wanted to smack the hell out of her with one of those pre-packaged biscotti’s they have on display, but I decided against it.
Once I got my drink I sat down and started working on my computer. But that girl and her voice were inescapable. But I started thinking. She sang openly without fear of rejection. Whether we received it or not was not her concern; she was jsut that confident. So I began unpacking the question: Is conceit a pre-requisite to performance? Gotta be.
Think about it: Ever heard of an insecure rapper? Imagine if the first time you heard 'Ether' Nas seemed unsure about what he had to say. Would it have been able to sustain its place in history as the greatest lyrical slaying of all time? I don't think so. I mean even the god MC, Jay-Z, gave it up for that one (excuse the propaganda). Or try considering an actor. Can you imagine he or she on stage delivering lines from Julius Caesar without certainty? Of course not!
Essentially, what I'm trying to convey is that one who chooses to showcase their talent to the world must, if nothing else, exude the kind of confidence that is cousin to conceit. In order for the world to receive you, you have to possess the assurance that shouts, "What I do I do the best and you're going to love it!" If you don't first believe it who will?
Conceit, then, is indeed a pre-requisite to performance as it will provide the fuel one needs to drive the talent. It's the secret to many people's success. Furthermore, self doubt is self defeat and therefore the greatest failure one could endure.
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