For the last seven years I've been a mercenary gig whore, just trying to get as much $$$ as I could but after my mom passed away I've had a bit of a change of heart. I'm kind of done with the cover band thing and am trying to scale it down. Thing is, I haven't quite figured out what to do next, I know I want to do my own stuff, but it hasn't come into focus yet.
While gig whoring, I did play for shits and giggles in a "fusion" ensemble, just to be able to play some original stuff and stretch out. They only ever did occasional unpaid gigs, but I did them because it was a good hang and the music was somewhat interesting.
I think the old adage applies: do it for the music, the money, or the hang. If you get two out of three, that's not bad.
@Paul Woodward Sounds like you're not getting even one out of three there, so...