Is This Thing On?

Well, I finally took the Big Day Job, and I have to say that it’s the best move I’ve made since I quit the Last Big Day Job in order to become a Full Time Musician.  Leaving my previous employment to pursue music as my main vocation was a very good move for me, even though the business end of the Music Business never really panned out for me.  I played some GREAT gigs, met some exceptionally cool people, released a bunch of recorded music I very much like,  and generally had a pretty good time.

I also worked harder than I’ve ever worked in my life for the least amount of money I’ve ever earned in my life (and that includes those few periods of time during which I was among the ranks of the Registered Unemployed), and spent a buttload of time pushing great big rocks uphill trying to get people to come see me play.  Trying to turn music making into a job taught me lot of hard lessons about who I am and what I really want out of my life.  In the end, I discovered that I wasn’t terribly well suited to the role of Sisyphus and decided, for the sake of practicality and for my own sanity, to go back to the Real World for my daily bread.  As I say, it was a Very Good Move Indeed.

I now have a nice busy job, working with people I like and respect, selling a product I like and respect to people whom I also like and respect, and I’m tremendously grateful each day that all I have to do to get paid (and hopefully earn a bit of respect myself from coworkers and customers) is show up and do the work that’s waiting for me.  I don’t have to entertain anyone, put on The Big Show, or worry about whether I’m doing Everything I Need to do to Build My Audience.  That's a very peaceful and satisfying feeling.

Pursuant to all of this, I’ve decided that, for the time being at least, I’m backing off from regular gigging.  I’ve got a few commitments I need to keep, but after those have passed, I won’t be pursuing gigs, at least for the near term, and my primary consideration for any gigs I take in the future will be: “is this fun for me?”

I still love music.  I still love playing music, and I expect I will eventually love playing music again as much as I used to love playing music once the holes in my soul that were rent by the pressures and obsessions and responsibilities of being a Full Time Professional Musician have fully healed.  The New Job fills up a lot of my time, and I’m finding that I very much like the idea of coming home at the end of a good solid day of work and just reading, watching TV, or puttering about in the workshop.  Maybe I’ll even start building car models.  I don’t know.

I haven’t closed up The Secret Underground Laboratory.  There’s still new music in the works, and I’m still collaborating with friends for the fun of it when I have the time.  I’m just finally comfortable with the idea that music is no longer The Most Important Thing in My Life, and I’m genuinely happy to have it back where it was, as my Favorite Hobby.

Until next time, be excellent to yourselves!

Rick