This time last year I was fully employed as a Bank of America worker bee. I gave my 40+ hours every week to "the man" and was well compensated for my soul sacrifice. Now please don't misunderstand, BofA was a fine company to work for … good benefits, steady pay … it was safe and easy. And I was still able to give a little to my music; I performed on the weekends and on occasion would find the creative spark needed to produce new material. But my momentum was trapped in molasses … I found myself constantly struggling to move forward because I wasn't fully committed, I wasn't "all in."
In early 2012 I was told by a very reputable management company that while they were interested in me, I needed to quit my job before they'd take me on. The rep told me that they didn't want to commit to my career because I hadn't committed yet. Hearing this was beyond frustrating. It was a Catch 22 hurdle that I just couldn't figure out how to get over. First of all, I was committed, I loved being a musician … AND… I needed my job - I needed the money to keep pushing my music career forward. How was I supposed to survive and pay bills if I quit? I honestly couldn't figure it out.. I couldn't see past the difficulty and the basic math. So I let that opportunity pass me by. I set the "quit my job" idea on the "someday" bulletin board and kept on drudging through molasses.
I continued to give my 40+ hours to BofA and I worked even harder to move myself forward musically. I made headway too ~ started booking better gigs for myself and even caught the eye of some influencial music folks in the big kid Music Biz club. :) But being the hungry for success critter that I am, I wanted more. I wanted to be further down the "paying my dues" path than I was. But I didn't know what more I could do. I was still scared to leave my comfort zone ~ still didn't have faith that my music would carry me.
Then, last August, I traveled. I went to Italy and saw an incredible part of the world! Food, music, wine and general beauty coursed through my veins! I was reignited with passion for life and had an incredible soundtrack for the journey.
Listening to the Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles, I realized that I was stunting my own growth by being afraid of the unknown. The vocal and lyrical maturity of Sara's work made me want to commit more time, more energy… more of myself to my music.
So, while having a delicious latte in Capri,
I decided to quit my job. I gave myself a few months to prepare and boom ~ I quit.
Now, I know I've mentioned this before in a previous blog (Learning To Trust) … but my commitment didn't stop there. Quitting was the beginning.
Since January of this year I've been moving at full speed ~ I perform at least 4 days a week, practice at least 2 hours a day (often times more), I write at least 1 new song a week and I run all of the behind the scenes stuff that goes into being employed as a full time musician.
I actually work a thousand times harder than I did when I was working 40+ hours for BofA. Every moment of every day is devoted completely to moving forward. I follow my heart and back up the passion with calculated moves. I ignore the rules of engagement and do what feels right - but most of all, I'm not afraid to fail, I'm not afraid of the unknown. I believe in my music and I do what I can to get better each day. Going for your dreams means that you're traveling in uncharted waters ~ you're paving the way for yourself; not following the masses. So your entire world is unknown … you can't be afraid of that… if you are, then you'll never move forward.
Dream chasing isn't reserved for any specific group/career path, anyone can do it. :) My good friend Katie Nathey (Check her blog out here: http://upcycledtreasures.com) is living proof of that as well. She's a DIY blogger and is making big waves in that community. She too works hard every day. She does what she loves and embraces the unknown.
As Cinderella once sang, "A dream is a wish your heart makes." Dreams are worth chasing - but you'd better be ready and willing because that chase is a long one.
In early 2012 I was told by a very reputable management company that while they were interested in me, I needed to quit my job before they'd take me on. The rep told me that they didn't want to commit to my career because I hadn't committed yet. Hearing this was beyond frustrating. It was a Catch 22 hurdle that I just couldn't figure out how to get over. First of all, I was committed, I loved being a musician … AND… I needed my job - I needed the money to keep pushing my music career forward. How was I supposed to survive and pay bills if I quit? I honestly couldn't figure it out.. I couldn't see past the difficulty and the basic math. So I let that opportunity pass me by. I set the "quit my job" idea on the "someday" bulletin board and kept on drudging through molasses.
I continued to give my 40+ hours to BofA and I worked even harder to move myself forward musically. I made headway too ~ started booking better gigs for myself and even caught the eye of some influencial music folks in the big kid Music Biz club. :) But being the hungry for success critter that I am, I wanted more. I wanted to be further down the "paying my dues" path than I was. But I didn't know what more I could do. I was still scared to leave my comfort zone ~ still didn't have faith that my music would carry me.
Then, last August, I traveled. I went to Italy and saw an incredible part of the world! Food, music, wine and general beauty coursed through my veins! I was reignited with passion for life and had an incredible soundtrack for the journey.
Listening to the Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles, I realized that I was stunting my own growth by being afraid of the unknown. The vocal and lyrical maturity of Sara's work made me want to commit more time, more energy… more of myself to my music.
So, while having a delicious latte in Capri,
I decided to quit my job. I gave myself a few months to prepare and boom ~ I quit.
Now, I know I've mentioned this before in a previous blog (Learning To Trust) … but my commitment didn't stop there. Quitting was the beginning.
Since January of this year I've been moving at full speed ~ I perform at least 4 days a week, practice at least 2 hours a day (often times more), I write at least 1 new song a week and I run all of the behind the scenes stuff that goes into being employed as a full time musician.
I actually work a thousand times harder than I did when I was working 40+ hours for BofA. Every moment of every day is devoted completely to moving forward. I follow my heart and back up the passion with calculated moves. I ignore the rules of engagement and do what feels right - but most of all, I'm not afraid to fail, I'm not afraid of the unknown. I believe in my music and I do what I can to get better each day. Going for your dreams means that you're traveling in uncharted waters ~ you're paving the way for yourself; not following the masses. So your entire world is unknown … you can't be afraid of that… if you are, then you'll never move forward.
Dream chasing isn't reserved for any specific group/career path, anyone can do it. :) My good friend Katie Nathey (Check her blog out here: http://upcycledtreasures.com) is living proof of that as well. She's a DIY blogger and is making big waves in that community. She too works hard every day. She does what she loves and embraces the unknown.
As Cinderella once sang, "A dream is a wish your heart makes." Dreams are worth chasing - but you'd better be ready and willing because that chase is a long one.