Taking the credits.

Have you ever experienced when someone else took the credit for your work? 

You know… you pour your soul into a project and then at the end of it, no one says thank you or acknowledges you for your contribution. Or worse… said they did it all. 

Before we get defensive, let’s look at something really interesting. If we look at the Oxford dictionary for what credit really means in this sense, we have two meanings:
1) “public acknowledgment or praise of someone as a participant in the production of” 

2) “a source of pride…” 

These two definitions go hand in hand, especially when we look at the derivation of the word “credit.” The derivation of credit is “belief” and “trust.” That’s basically like we’re trusting each other to be honest on giving the correct credit (written and verbally) on each project. 

There’s one version of credit that we all know and that’s where we get our name written on the album. That falls into definition number one. Then there’s the fact that we also want to be able to take pride in saying “that’s my work.” That’s definition number two and that’s what feels good, that pride. 

I’ve seen so many good bands being reduced to nothing because of too much of an “I did it” attitude and band members feeling betrayed for not getting the credit for their creations. It does hurt, it has happened to me, too.

I know people who have literally quit because of lack of credit and not getting enough acknowledgement for their work. But here’s the thing… is that the other person’s responsibility, or their own? 

It can be extremely upsetting for someone else to have the credit that should be yours. But the thing is… what responsibility did you take for it? What responsibility are you willing to take as an artist? 

What if the project ends up doing terribly? The ironic thing is that everyone might try to push the “credit” off on everyone else, right? “Oh, so-and-so said we should play it that way” or “I never thought the song would do well anyway…” Right? 

If your project goes downhill, are you going to still take the consequences to your name or are you going to blame your label or the project manager or another bandmate for it? The key here is that in every collaboration project; it is important to understand that it is a group effort and never lose sight of what you bring to the project. 

The way to fix that is this: If you want to feel the pride at the end of the project, then take pride in what you do and give it your all and do your best - for yourself and for the people you’re working with. And chances are if you do that, the project won’t go terribly anyway. 

My truth is, the greatest pieces of art are seldom put together by one person alone. 

At any point in your career you will have to collaborate with other people. It is not something you can avoid. At all. You will have to work with other musicians, a director, or maybe you’ll have to hire another guitarist for one gig because your first call couldn’t make it. Or maybe another singer will ask you to collaborate on one of his projects. 

At some point the discussion will come: "Who did it?" Who wrote the song? Who wrote the chorus? Who is getting credit for the work being done? Who wrote that catchy riff that made the whole writing session move forward when everyone else was stuck in a blank? Who booked the gig? Who figured out the bridge? Who planned the session? Who had the idea first?

The point is, if you were there, then you had a part in it. Your very presence in the room was important, because you showed up with the good intention of getting something done that day. Get rid of the idea that the other people in the room should thank you for being there, because they showed up, too. Get rid of the idea that you can take credit for the whole project. They were there too, and just as important as you were for that gig. What you created that day is the result of everyone being there and doing their very best while working in the same direction.

On the other hand, maybe someone played a bigger part and you feel like you didn’t do that much that day. Well, again, it doesn’t matter.

You should absolutely take credit, your name on the project and your pride, for what you have accomplished. But you should also let other people say that they did it too. Give credit where credit is due. Doing your share of the work and being excellent at it is one thing, but being responsible for the success or the completion of a project is another.

Honestly, the more credit and admiration you give to others, the more they will give it back to you and the more they will want to work with you. 

Maybe you played the guitar. Maybe she mumbled a drum part and you performed it. 

Maybe the guy brought a sample that he recorded on his phone and you first thought it sounded like a piece of junk, and in the end it turned out really cool. Even if you were “wrong” (if there is such a thing) most of the time during the writing session, maybe all those “wrong” ideas sparked  something beautiful in the mind of the other people. The bottom line is, by showing up, you created something unique that would’ve not been the same without you.

In any creative process, you are the creator, and you are the most important person, as long as you let the others be just as important.