Want to make a full-time career out of your music, art or other creative interests? Part of my reason for blogging is to encourage you to do so, and show you how! But first, let me try to talk you out of it. Before stepping out on that long, difficult road, seriously consider the following:
Are you doing it for fame and fortune? Ha- good luck with that! Although it IS true that your ego may get stroked from time to time, and there IS money to be made in the Arts, do NOT be doing it for those reasons. Do it only because you love it, and absolutely can’t imagine doing anything else with your life. If not, failure is inevitable.
You really want to be self-employed? Badly enough? Then fully realize that that means you are working for yourself. No one is going to give you a pat on the back, thank you for your dedication to the company and hand you a check for this week’s 30+ hours of overtime you put in. Be prepared to work your butt off. Your product is you. And you are selling it constantly- night and day. There’s no “off” switch. It’s what you chose to do . . . so deal with it. No whining or pouting allowed. You alone are responsible for your future successes and failures. Nobody else. If you bust your balls, you may find a way to come out ahead. Drag your feet, and you’ll drown for sure. If that sounds like too much work, quit now. Grab the local paper, open up to the classifieds, and get a ‘real’ job.
Still with me? If, even after hearing all that, you still want to forge ahead and carve out your own little niche in the creative world, stay tuned right here. You are in the right place . . . several forthcoming posts are all about how you can do exactly that! We’ll be covering creative income sources, self-promotion, branding and other topics. But I also want to introduce some ideas that, most likely, fewer musicians and artists are aware of and implement in their careers: timeboxing, virtual assistants, personal assistants, Pareto’s 80-20 rule and social media.
Ready to get a bit outside the box, roll up your shirtsleeves and put in some hard work? Excellent! Then subscribe above, comment below and let’s get started! And please let me know about any topics that you would like to see covered in future posts.
{ 6 comments }
“You really want to be self-employed? Badly enough”
Great line. It always sounds like a great idea until it comes down to it and you have to make things happen.
Reminds me a bit of Sean Ogle’s post at Location 180 – http://www.seanogle.com/headline/youre-not-cut-out-to-be-a-location-independent-entrepreneur
Yep, Sean pretty much says it like it is! It was great to meet him in Thailand a couple months ago. He’s definitely making it happen for himself over there! Certainly not the easy route, but so much more rewarding . . .
This post couldn’t have come at a better time. I will be starting a business with a friend of mine soon and some of these thoughts have been winding through my mind. Although the amount of work it requires is quite daunting, it’s certainly worth it– especially when the day comes where every ounce of effort can be spent on personal projects (even if that means 18 hour+ work days).
Starting out seems quite difficult (as there is still my day job to worry about), but later on I’m sure different issues will present themselves once the business is established– maintaining focus on projects that used to be part-time may be difficult, as will keeping the creative juices flowing… I fear extended periods with a creative drought.
Any advice on staying motivated/ keeping things fresh? It seems like as long as you keep on working, the ideas eventually come, but I’m interested in your personal experiences.
Hey, Jon- thanks for your comment! You’re absolutely right . . . if you can dedicate yourself to plugging away through the difficult stuff, it’s truly all worth it, because you’ll be doing something you enjoy. And thanks for suggesting that I touch on “motivation.” That’s a great idea and you can expect to see a post on the topic here, for sure!
Awesome site. Awesome blog. I found it after commenting on your article on MusicianWages.com. Congrats and keep up the good work.
Now, a question about this article: I understand that it isn’t a good idea to have “fame and fortune” be the end that you are seeking, but is it really so wrong to want to be well-known and well-respected for what you do? Is it wrong to want to be well-paid for what you do? I don’t know if we’re talking about the same thing here…what exactly do you mean by “fame and fortune?”
Thanks for taking the time to read my comment and I look forward to following your posts!
Hi, Catherine- thanks for checking out this blog, the MusicianWages.com article . . . and especially for your comment!
I think that we are pretty much seeing eye-to-eye on this. It’s just important that the fame and fortune isn’t, as you mentioned, “the end” goal. But I certainly agree with you that it is nice (and not wrong at all) to be known and respected for the work that you produce. And once we’ve put in countless hours on our instrument and reached a certain level of proficiency and professionalism (“paid our dues”), it is important to be compensated accordingly for our time and expertise- not unlike in any other line of work. I’ve just met many players who have pursued music not because of first having a passion for making it, but rather with the delusional belief that it is an easy route to attention and other perks. In the long haul, I rarely see those people commit the time and energy necessary to improve and push forward. The music is not enough to keep them going- they’re simply in it for the wrong reasons. And, in this difficult and occasionally disappointing career, sometimes music is all you’ve got to get you through! To a true artist, that’s plenty enough motivation to keep going. I’m a firm believer that, if you do what you do through thick-and-thin, success awaits. And that might include that fame and fortune- which would be icing on an already marvelous cake!
We’re still together on this? Thanks again, Catherine!
See you here again soon-