Making Music - better as a hobby than a career?

[alby]

Used to play in a part-time band with a few former full time professional muso's.

 

Their take on playing for dough was that it took all the creativity out of playing music. You just worried about making money from the gig's.

 

It this true or just the grumbling's of some burnt out muso's?

[Krakit]

I used to make my living from touring.

 

I like the music that I make now (no longer professional) better. I'm free to make music that appeals only to me now and that's liberating.

[coren]

i would think id be good to combine the two...

i play out professionally with my music and we write what we like, but if we made no money (we usually dont) we dont care... you just find another way to "support" yourself... like working in a studio...

[1Empress_Scorpio]

I always felt -- if you have a natural feel, gift and talent for making music, that as soon as possible you share it with others. Through that, you then slowly realize that confidence is being established within and from your listeners. I refused to work for another retail boutique for women's wear (ever), the politics and how shallow a work place it was is inhumane for anyone to be subject to!

 

I am multi-fascited and gifted in many areas of art and design. A creative person. Would always be doodle or humming gibberish. In my highschool years roughly about 6 years ago, I really thought I would persue the arts and especially couture fashion designing. Upon graduation I took up training for designing with a pro from Paris. To make a long story short -- the music I was making privately and sharing, got more recognition and genuine response than fashion designs times 100. Besides, I was really dreading the sewing part of designing and slowly lost all interest. I put 100% of myself into the designs, yes, but -- it took to long and was too tedious to get to the finished product. What I said to myself was -- if it's too much a fuss on you and you are not truly into it, get out of it! Luckily I enjoyed myself and they enjoyed me at the fashion school.

 

So my music sharing and making flourished -- from privately to publicly and now, internationally. But, still very privately and miniscule in scale (it maintains authenticity). It is my career now (full time), music. I did it all by myself (meaning not through any lables and such), with the encouragement and support of friends and (my mother) -- with the awareness and generosity from the public, I slowly established my own lable and home studio for producing for others too.

 

The moral of the story is: keep true to your gifts and talents, as well as the feel for music. Unless you see yourself doing something other than music to support yourself, yes, maintain it always as a "hobby". But if you are willing to risk it all to a life of music (which you make the call and do all the work), then realize that you came from a place of privately enjoying your own musical creations (all these years) and the significance of it all will motivate you to persue it! And you WILL succeed in music. Not world wide like the top 40s peoples, but world wide the way you want to be (you are ultimately in control). If you put in all the effort and work everyday for the life of music, I really can't see you not succeed.

 

Vi An

www.mp3.com/just_vi_an

[sudeep]

i work full time and have taken up the keys reletivedly late, but i find that enjoy everything so much more than the professional (full time) musos i was playing with. I actually enjoyed rehearsing, i liked working out parts and harmonies and charts whereas the others just saw it as a means to an end ie. making some money.