John Jesensky is a renowned composer and conductor whose scores have won awards and featured in many publications. He lives in Los Angeles and has been in the field of music mainly focusing on composition, screenwriting and conducting during musical events. John attended the Hartt School of Music, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Music in Composition degree.

He is a success to many upcoming composers and screenwriters and his motivation has helped to build their careers besides offering them the guidance they need to kick start their growth. Despite the success John has earned, he still faces the challenge of work stress, which comes in several forms. He explains how he copes with this issue and advices other composers on how they can handle stress to keep their health in order.

Competitive environment

As a career, composition is highly competitive and it’s always necessary to have some support from an institution like a conservatory so as to earn a living as a classical composer. This is something that brings frustration sometimes if you are not patient enough to walk the long journey of securing yourself a slot in such an institution. John Jesensky says that his biggest driver and boost during this kind of stress is reminding himself of the purpose and meaning of his effort, so he does not have to deviate from his path due to challenges emanating from competition. Through the effort and belief in oneself he applied, John has grown to be acknowledged by many institutions although he says this journey took time and a lot of learning.

Lack of exposure

Another issue that brings about stress among composers is the lack of exposure for new music. It is unfortunate that not every person who loves classical music supports living composers through patronage and performance. As a result, this could lead to stress at times because you have to continually explain what you do and the reason it is significant culturally that people have to embrace it.

John has battled this kind of stress several times and his biggest strategy has been holding on to quality and giving his effort time to blossom. He advises that whenever you own your own creations, you are able to create a sense of satisfaction that lifts a considerable amount of stress off your shoulders. Living with stress is the worst nightmare for an artist as this impacts your overall health and could lead your career on a downward path.

Level of awareness towards classical music

It could also be depressing to realize that there is a lack of awareness of classical music and its value. As a composer, this leaves you with a lot of work of both coming up with good content and creating the awareness among people who don’t find any joy in contemporary classical music. John Jesensky says this is one of the fears that brought his life to a halt because he had to keep looking for the most relevant way to reach many people. However, with time he realized the value of sharing his experiences through this form of art and this drew closer people who resonated with the message of the composition.