Tag: art

When Beethoven Went Deaf but Never Stopped

Beethoven went deaf but never gave up. His silence became the sound that changed how the world hears music forever.

Fifth Symphony (Beethoven) • Darem Placer

People often call Beethoven’s story a tragedy—but it’s really a story of courage. Born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770, he began losing his hearing in his late 20s while living in Vienna. By his 40s, he was almost completely deaf. For a musician, that sounds like the end. But for him, it was the start of something greater.

He couldn’t hear the piano, yet he kept composing. He would hold a stick between his teeth and press it to the piano to feel the vibration of each note. He no longer heard with his ears—but with his memory, his mind, and his heart.

That’s how he wrote Ode to Joy (An die Freude), the final movement of his Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 12—one of the most powerful and emotional pieces in history. Completed in 1824, it was performed for the first time in Vienna, where Beethoven stood on stage unable to hear the applause.

You can even feel it live in this breathtaking performance.

Ode to Joy – London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Antonio Pappano

Beethoven proved that silence can’t stop real passion. Even when the world goes quiet, true art finds a way to speak. And maybe that’s a lesson for us too—whatever struggles we face, we can still create, still move, still function. Beethoven showed that greatness isn’t about what we lose, but how we rise beyond it.

There Was a Time includes Fifth Symphony. Soon on Bandcamp.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

When Quantity Creates Quality

Art has no finish line—every work, even on scratch paper, carries the truth that feelings can’t be measured, only lived.

The Misunderstood Mantra

People love to say, “Quality over quantity.” It sounds wise, especially in business or offices where mistakes cost money. But in art, that saying can kill your growth.

Artists don’t find quality by waiting for inspiration—they find it by showing up, again and again. Quantity is the grind that reveals the gold. Every sketch, draft, riff, or post is part of the training. It’s not about perfection—it’s about becoming.

In factories, quantity means output. In art, it means expression. Because in art, every piece has something to do with feelings—and feelings aren’t meant to be polished. Even mistakes can become part of the beauty. There are no wrong notes when they come from truth.

Mainstream musicians, for example, write and record thousands of songs a year. But the music label decides which ones “feel commercial.” If nothing fits the market, those songs stay locked away. Some artists wait years without a release—not because they stopped creating, but because the system measures quality by sales, not soul.

That’s where independent artists stand different. They release when they’re ready, not when the boardroom approves. They create freely, without filters, without compromise.

But now, the problem isn’t just with the artists—it’s with us, the listeners, the art lovers. We stopped listening deeply. We started streaming whatever the algorithm served. The corporate world learned that, and turned art into product. The more people obey the charts, the more real art fades into silence.

Because when feelings are no longer the measure, and numbers take over, music loses its soul—and we lose a part of ours too.

So the next time someone tells you to slow down, tell them this:

“You can’t create perfection before creation itself. You can’t edit what doesn’t exist.”

In the end, artists just keep creating—because emotion has no finish line. The only limit of feeling is death. Every work, even one drawn on scratch paper, is still art. Because art isn’t about where it hangs—it’s about who felt enough to make it.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ