Thanks for joining me here on Substack. I’m Simeon Walker, a pianist & composer from Leeds in the UK. I compose and perform my original instrumental piano music, and I hope this will become a place where those of you who are following my musical endeavours can engage, interact, connect and appreciate the many things which bring us together, in a meaningful, ad-and-algorithm-free zone.
For me, the best thing about being a musician, making and releasing music, performing and touring, growing an audience, and ultimately telling my story as a creative person, is reaching, meeting and connecting with like-minded people; the people who will come with you; the people who will be there with you; the kindred spirits, the folks on your team, the ones for whom what you make, why you make it, and who you are makes following your musical and creative endeavours worthwhile; a joy, a lifeblood, an adventure, and dare I say it…a journey. Bleurgh.
For many creative people, the idea of fandom, creating an audience and actively seeking to grow a fanbase can feel anathema to why we do it, or what creativity is for. A big philosophical question, there. The age old question of how to balance creativity with commercial gain (and for most people, this will simply mean operating at a sustainable level, rather than becoming very wealthy and famous) will always be present, but over time, I am - slowly, and still - coming to terms with the awareness that making something so important, so special, so pivotal to me, can be and is those things to other people too. It won’t and can’t be that for everyone, and that’s ok, but for the people who are and want to continue to be there with you - how to make it work in the world we live in now?
Cutting through the noise as an independent artist continues to be very difficult. The adoption and rushing forward of new, slightly scary technologies continues apace; whilst so much about modern life is always so busy…and truthfully, I am the biggest hypocrite of them all. Whoops.
Leaving space in our lives for the good things is as hard as ever. I often think that it’s in the in-between space(s) where I find a lot of what I’m looking for or need, but…whilst still being present. I don’t want to escape somewhere else. I don’t want to drift off to another state or be in some kind of immersive “other” place - I want to be here, now; where I can be real, present, connected.
As a musician making and performing my original music, I’m finding more and more it is this that is my raison-d’etre for why I do it. I’m not trying to dazzle or impress based on my ability - or otherwise - to play lots of notes, to be riddled with fear, doubt or frustration at how I played something “wrong”, to be judged against a set of prescribed standards on how music should be - instead, I am seeking genuine interactions and shared experiences, to find the people who want this too, to cut through the noise, and enjoy the elements of life which are indefinably tangible.
I guess this is my attempt to go deeper, still. Not to do or be more, as such (god knows there are enough feeds and channels to update), but to create the conditions for where these real and meaningful connections can occur, when we are not sharing musical experiences in the same room together.
To make, find and be part of: a place for space.
For the time being, I’m going to keep this as a free and open-access space. In time, I might experiment with creating a subscriber-only area, but I’ll let you know about that. If you’re feeling generous, and you do want to support my work further, you can do that here or via PayPal.
Click play below to listen to ‘Paean’ from my new EP ‘Imprints 2’. Sometimes, it’s the spaces between the notes that mean as much as the notes themselves.