2. As an artist, not only are you expected to be well-versed in music and it's history, you are absolutely expected to be aware of the advances of other art forms as well, past and more importantly, present.
3. Since you, "artist", are affected by the rise and fall of the arts and the zeitgeist of your society, it is now your mandate to innovate something new. To either expound upon or react against a current artistic trend, or better yet, create your own trend. Which would not be possible if you, dear composer, don't give a rat's ass about what's happening in the art world now, or what has happened then.
4. The one who write songs is not a "composer". He is a songwriter. It is even dubious to call him an artist. But he carries the title within a rather different arena; that of popular culture. And pop culture is in no way concerned with the high standards of artistic dignity, but rather, with the entertainment of the general public, and the earnings of record companies.
( Please help me in my appeal for the refusal to put those who write songs in the same level with those who write symphonies, by not calling the songwriter a "composer"). See Mozart and Lady Gaga
5. TIME IS THE ULTIMATE JUDGE
Only the future will decide whether or not your work was significant. But one thing is certain; Time has always chosen substance over surface. I lament over the tragic fact that most people have always fallen for image (literally, most of the time). E. g., one always assume a performance was great having seen only the glamorous pictures on the internet of the roaring audience and the flashy gestures. "Congratulations, looks like it was a remarkable concert!".
6. If you succeed in the creation of something new, do not despair when people do not applaud your work. It means you are ahead of them, and their ability to appreciate true beauty is hindered by the media's constant bombardments of false aesthetics on their head.
7. If you really want to write tonal or pop music, make it new, and interesting and radical, and most importantly, true to yourself.
8. As beginner composers it is alright to copy other composer's styles. But it is our aim to find our own voice.