We were given the marks for the first piece of my masters coursework today. I got 72 for a set of six compositional studies we had to produce. That's distinction level, so I'm quite happy. A good place to start. I've been questioning my place within music lately. I'm wondering if my constant drive to be unique is stifling my output. But at the same time, I don't see the point in making music that someone else has already done in a better way. There's always the danger that composition can devolve into a type of 'paint by numbers' approach if one isn't conscientious. On the other hand, I'm wary of becoming too esoteric. As much as I strive to be different, I don't want to get to a point where only other academics appreciate my work. I find the challenge of making a difficult concept more easy to digest enthralling. But it's a hard process and sometimes I feel like I get too caught up in trying to pinpoint what said concepts could be.