Grow Up To Be A Musician

Choosing to be a songwriter means making a lot of tough decisions on a regular basis. You probably will have to get a "regular job," to help keep a roof over your head and food on the table, and pay for expensive things like instruments and studio time until your music begins to foot more of that itself, and realizing that it might never do that. This often means you will have to learn not only some other non-musical skill, but the expertise at it to keep that job going so you don't have to give up on your dreams. It also means you will often have to budget and save so you can afford musical expenses. It may also sometimes require you putting equipment up for sale or in hock if you run into emergencies, and deciding what you can do without for a while, no matter how it hurts. You will also have to learn to prioritize, schedule things, and learn interpersonal skills, or you will have a problem dealing with co-workers, fellow musicians and your private life. People without good people skills may be able to play and write fantastically with all their focus on their art, but that won't help them if they can't get along with others and have problems keeping a day or band gig, or at least find a manager to do this for them, and afford their services. Doesn't sound like it's for crybabies, does it?

HANDLING FAILURE IS GROWTH

If you can't take losing, you don't get far in life-or in music. Songwriting is one of the highest-risk professions, with 90% never even breaking even on their expenses, and only the top 5% making a living at their craft. That's making a living, not getting rich-only the top 1-2% get to that level, and most of those are performers as well as songwriters. If you can handle the odd award and a few hundred bucks here and there as a bonus, songwriting can be a good hobby or side job. Making a living at it, or having it as a serious second income, though, takes a lot more work, and being willing to come back and try again and again and again after repeated drubbings by fellow songwriters, critics, the very reps you try to pitch to, not to mention friends, family and jealous onlookers who don't have the guts to

Go To Page: 1 2 3