Things Concert Staff Dont Want You to Know
I quit my conform-and-tie marketing job at age 27 to pursue the only affair I'd ever really cared most, which was playing music.
That was 29 years agone!
Looking back on it, in that location are lots of things I wish I'd known then – things that would take saved me lots of headaches.
I hope ane or more of these might exist helpful to you…
1. I'll burn down myself out playing 4-5 nights a week
For 3-4 hours a night…
You probably accept more stamina than I do.
For me, it only took about ii and half years of full-fourth dimension musicianship before I'd developed a pretty debilitating case of tendonitis owing to long bar gigs with loud bands.
In 1995, seemingly out of nowhere, I was faced with the need to scale dorsum my playing considerably while however making a living as a musician!
(If you're curious about how I achieved that, you tin see more here.)
2. Health insurance is expensive!
Holy crap.
Separate from what your feelings might be on the Affordable Care Act here in America, health insurance is simply expensive, and becomes more then every year. Plan for that.
iii. I can write off all my clothes
And my new computer!
For the first few years of self employment, I did my own taxes and had no idea how many deductions I could exist taking.
Once I wised upwardly and hired an accountant, I was able to salve lots of money (far more than than the accountant's fee) by taking advantage of write-offs and deductions I knew aught nigh.
Highly recommended.
4. Teaching people to play music is only fun if they practice
(Which they don't. At to the lowest degree, not usually.)
A big part of my plan when I first went "pro" was to generate some income giving instrumental lessons out of my firm.
I busted my butt to get students, and it worked.
Over a six-month menstruum, I had built up my teaching business to a steady roster of xxx-35 students a week.
It was corking daytime work, and it did keep me in practiced practice having so many hours each 24-hour interval with an musical instrument in my mitt.
The more I did it, though, the less I enjoyed it.
While my students seemed perfectly happy coming back and shooting the breeze every week, going over the same stuff we'd done the week before (and the week earlier that), and and so getting sucked back into their decorated lives, it just didn't experience satisfying to me.
I enjoyed the social aspect, only just didn't feel fulfilled past the pedagogy.
Fortunately, inside a few years I had stumbled into the much-better-paying world of educational performing.
Once I got decorated plenty with that, I moved on from giving lessons.
five. Nobody in the audience is scrutinizing every notation I play and sing
They're there to take a good fourth dimension, period.
Help them do that, and anybody wins.
Or, said another mode – get over yourself.
6. Some days there will be LESS fourth dimension for music than before
What?
It's funny to call back back on all the utopian visions I had well-nigh what my life would be like after breaking free from my corporate task to pursue music full-fourth dimension.
I pictured long thoughtful conversations with fellow artists, tons of time to play and create music, lots of leisurely work on personal recording projects, and so on.
So information technology's non like that?
Well, non if you demand to make a decent living. It's a lot more than like this, and this.
I wouldn't trade it for the world, but it's not exactly the way I'd envisioned it.
7. I can brand a sustainable living as an independent musician!
Amazing.
I really had no thought how this experiment would plow out when I decided to leave my secure chore (with benefits) all those years ago.
In retrospect, I feel very fortunate that I made the break at a time when I was immature and adaptable, unmarried, and without many large expenses. I could beget to accept the adventure, and had a higher degree to autumn back on if it all went to hell.
But it didn't!
The large lesson?
If in that location's 1 matter I've learned near the route of the independent creative person, it's that at that place are hundreds of well-worn paths you tin accept, and many more that can be created out of sparse air.
I make my entire living as a musician without intersecting one bit with the music "industry."
Go figure.
Information technology's the ability to work actually hard at building your business – yes, your business – that might determine how it goes for you lot. This blog is hither as a free resources to help you practice just that.
If you're not already subscribed, y'all tin do that right here.
For those who do this full fourth dimension – what else would you add to my list here?
The "Comments" section is below.
About The Blog
Since leaving a white-collar marketing job in 1992, Dave Ruch has been educating and entertaining total-time in schools, historical societies and museums, folk music and concert venues, libraries, and online via altitude learning programs.
Forth the way, he's learned a bully deal about supporting a family of four as a musician.
The Educate and Entertain blog provides articles, tips, encouragements, and how-to'southward for regional performers (in any region) interested in making a dandy total-time living in the arts.
Source: https://daveruch.com/advice/tips-for-full-time-musicians/
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