JimmieWannaB Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 I just realized that I've barely touched my keyboards for two months. The layoffs I was forced to do in May have me working 8 AM - 9 PM plus weekends. The real bite is that this week I'm driving to Vegas to realize a 35 year old dream - owning a B3 - and I won't get to touch it for over a week. As soon as I get it home, I leave for a business trip. I've said many times in this forum that I'm a so so keyboardist (I'm a charter member of KWS - Keyboardists Who Suck ). I know that the only way to change that is to practice. Before the layoffs I had been practicing at least an hour a day plus much of the weekend. Now I can't find the time or energy. Hell, I'm lucky most nights to have the energy to make dinner before falling into bed. What I need is a good paying job that doesn't require an 80 hour work week. Unfortunately, given the current economy and the unemployment rate in the Bay Area, that isn't going to happen any time soon. Anyone out there having to make the same employment vs. passion choice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botch. Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 I've never made a living solely from playing music, but three years ago I did take a lower-paying job just so I had more time for "my" things (music but also including woodworking, cooking, skiing, photography and relationships). Best thing I ever did. Are all jobs in the Bay area typically 80-hour weeks? I would never stand for that, I think I'd move before I gave up that much of my life, but obviously that's a call only you can make. Botch "Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will www.puddlestone.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowly Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 I don't get to my boards as much as I would like either. Lots of times when I should be practicing I'm just surfing the net. Thats a habit I need to cut down on if my music is going to go anywhere. Kcbass "Let It Be!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmieWannaB Posted August 17, 2003 Author Share Posted August 17, 2003 Originally posted by Botch I've never made a living solely from playing music, but three years ago I did take a lower-paying job just so I had more time for "my" things (music but also including woodworking, cooking, skiing, photography and relationships). Best thing I ever did. You're to be commended for taking care of yourself in this way. I wish I had the same opportunity. My daughter just started USC and I still have three years of alimony weighing me down. Once Meg's school is paid and I'm done with supporting the ex, I'll probably do the same as you. Are all jobs in the Bay area typically 80-hour weeks? No. Only those where staffs have been cut drastically and you're working obscene hours to make up the difference with hopes that you're not next on the hit list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod S Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 Originally posted by Botch.: I've never made a living solely from playing music, but three years ago I did take a lower-paying job just so I had more time for "my" things (music but also including woodworking, cooking, skiing, photography and relationships). Best thing I ever did. Are all jobs in the Bay area typically 80-hour weeks? I would never stand for that, I think I'd move before I gave up that much of my life, but obviously that's a call only you can make.Botch's situation is similar to mine. I hit sort of mid life crisis when I turned 30 because of the hectic pace I was leading my life. My life is much more balanced nowadays. Still fast paced, but not in a stressed out way. I don't miss the bay area, honestly - too much stuck up idiots who only talked about their hectic corporate life style and making millions when their company went public. I wish I was being paid more, but I'm working on it. I still haven't hit the midpoint I want to hit as far as a balance between my life and my job, but I'm getting there. I have being able to spend about 3 hours on music 3-4 nights a week, plus usually about 5 on Sat and Sunday, which is great. I take both piano and voice lessons. I know this won't last forever, but I'm enjoying it while it does Luckly my divorce ended with no alimony to be paid - she had a job at the time that paid about the same as mine, so no case there. I don't have any children, either. Given my current enthusiasm with my music progress these days, I'd say I have to leave a time in my life for this.. no room for argument... I'm much happier overall with my life than I have been in the past, even when I was living in supposedly a better area, getting paid better, and living a more luxurious life style in general. Life's weird. Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 Two years ago the average CIO was making twice what I was making. At the time I really thought about moving to another area and going after a top paying job. The one piece of logic that held me back was the knowledge that about 50% of my wakeing hours are on the job. That is when I weighed the balance between a big house and expensive vacations against a job I like in a location I like with people I like. Then the economic slow down hit the tech sector and I was happy to have stayed in my current position. I stil don't feel like I have enough time for music, but I can take vacation days and spend them at my keyboards. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 I am fortunate to be in a situation like Botch. A mid-life crisis led to the decision to simplify things and I have been able to maintain a 'day gig' that allows me to go with all the music projects I can handle. It doesn't pay near what other jobs in my field pay, but I can manage my time for what's important. I tend toward overload, but it is a dream life, and I cannot complain. I like to play live. I am able play about 3 or four times a week with different bands I'm involved with. My problems are working in time and energy to practice and exercise, keeping things cool at home and saving up for new equipment. I'm going to try to get a real B3/122 next year. I have an artist wife who tolerates well. I think not having to depend on the music for a living takes off lots of pressure. It is a gift to be able to play just because you love to. I'm doing what I really wanted to do all along from high school on! "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humphh Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Glad to see I'm not the only one to feel this way. I'm in the bay area and have the american dream. Wife, two kids, house, mortgage and no free time. 3 hour commute to work and back every day. I'm hoping to change careers in 5-10 years so I can do what I love doing; not just paying the bills and planning for retirement. More money than time - at least I can afford to purchase a home studio. The problem is I have no time to use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steadyb Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 I'm kinda like the diabetic who works in the candy factory. On the one hand, Thanks to Alesis and now Apple/Emagic, I have a pretty cool little setup. But work keeps me VERY busy, and with a wife and two kids, baseball, basketball, etc., nearly all the music I get to work on is work/demo/sales related. Short pieces who's primary purpose is to show what the Apple/Emagic stuff can do. In fact, if not for the Keyboard Corner Compilations, (vol 1&2, 5, and 6) it'd all fall into that category lately. I'm not complaining at all mind you, I've got a great gig...but I think Mike Martin, and some of the other industry guys here would agree, now that we've got a lot of the gear we always dreamed of having, we're primarily demonstrating it and don't have the free creative time to spend on personal projects. It's kind of ironic, when I was a young, single, struggling musician, I had all the time in the world, but no money or gear. Now it's almost the opposite. But I guess I look at it this way, I've got about 20 years or so to get my kids safely into adulthood, and then I'll have the gear, the money, and the time to give to music...(although I should probably not get my hopes up on attracting the babes at that point ) Ahhhhh, life... When one of you guys figure it out, please send me a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 AAhhh, life - it's just one damn thing after another... "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogman1 Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Hey, Great thread! I'm in the same boat as you guys...not any divorces or anything, but just in general...LIFE GETS IN THE WAY! But....I honestly believe this is what gives my music the "passion" that it has (at least to me!) If I didn't have all the day-by-day pressures, I would probably be "bored" with my music to some degree. The novelty of actually sitting down and "playing" really becomes "playtime" for me. Good luck...and keep on "keepin' on"! Big T from NY Tom Nord Electro 5D, Modal Cobalt 8, Yamaha upright piano, numerous plug-ins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postman Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 I guess I'm kind of the opposite of the rest of you. I got out of the entertainment business (engineering) because of the long hours and low wages. I enjoyed the work, but I saw other people working 50 hours a week when I was averaging 80 or so, they were getting paid five or six times more than I was. I bailed out of the music profession to get my life back. I guess it's a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Originally posted by steadyb: It's kind of ironic, when I was a young, single, struggling musician, I had all the time in the world, but no money or gear. Now it's almost the opposite. Boy, isn't that the truth... k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realtrance Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Just wait until you get old: no gear, no money... no nuthin'! Enjoy it while you have it, then burn the rest. rt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod S Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Originally posted by Postman: I guess I'm kind of the opposite of the rest of you. I got out of the entertainment business (engineering) because of the long hours and low wages. I enjoyed the work, but I saw other people working 50 hours a week when I was averaging 80 or so, they were getting paid five or six times more than I was. I bailed out of the music profession to get my life back. I guess it's a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. Well, I have enough musician friends to definitely NOT want their lifestyle. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a 8-5 guy who likes the steady paycheck in my back account twice a month... The key for me has been to find a balance, and I'm pretty damn close to it right now. Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Originally posted by Rod S: [Q]Well, I have enough musician friends to definitely NOT want their lifestyle. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a 8-5 guy who lucks the steady paycheck in my back account twice a month... The key for me has been to find a balance, and I'm pretty damn close to it right now.[/QB]Yes. For me playing full time with no other income was someting to do for a few years and enjoy the experience. I did cheat a bit because I had worked for a coal company the previous 4 years while playing weekends in a well paid band. The money I saved during that time paid for my rig and helped me sustain a decent lifestyle. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Originally posted by JimmieWannaB: I just realized that I've barely touched my keyboards for two months. The layoffs I was forced to do in May have me working 8 AM - 9 PM plus weekends. The real bite is that this week I'm driving to Vegas to realize a 35 year old dream - owning a B3 - and I won't get to touch it for over a week. As soon as I get it home, I leave for a business trip. I've said many times in this forum that I'm a so so keyboardist (I'm a charter member of KWS - Keyboardists Who Suck ). I know that the only way to change that is to practice. Before the layoffs I had been practicing at least an hour a day plus much of the weekend. Now I can't find the time or energy. Hell, I'm lucky most nights to have the energy to make dinner before falling into bed. What I need is a good paying job that doesn't require an 80 hour work week. Unfortunately, given the current economy and the unemployment rate in the Bay Area, that isn't going to happen any time soon. Anyone out there having to make the same employment vs. passion choice?Add a wife and two kids and I'd be in the same boat. Not nearly as much time as I'd like to improve on keys. I've an IT job that doesn't eat up 80 hrs a week but I'm in the 40-60 range most of the time. Thank God for balance RobT Famous Musical Quotes: "I would rather play Chiquita Banana and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve" - Xavier Cugat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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