Angela in San Antonio writes:
I wish I knew where to go in my music career. I have spent a tremendous part of my life devoted to my craft, and have earned two degrees in the process. Yet, I have not gotten the results I wanted. I am financially strapped, so going to school yet again isn’t an option. I also don’t want to be a music teacher. I’m not looking to be famous – I just want to be able to make a living doing what I love. What am I doing wrong?
Dear Angela,
In a perfect world, we would all be able to make a living doing what we love. It is unfortunate, but passion doesn’t always pay.
Because teaching is not an option for you, it is going to be quite challenging for you to support yourself doing what you love. I’m not seeing any “big breaks” coming your way any time soon. Regardless of your educational achievements, you are the proverbial starving artist.
I don’t see that you are necessarily doing anything wrong in your career path – you have just chosen a very tough and competitive road. It could take years before you are able to generate a comfortable income level through music alone. Right now, you are caught in a vicious cycle. You don’t have the funds to properly market yourself and your talents, so your gifts aren’t reaching the right ears or hands.
You seem to have talent in the arena of composition. You may want to explore the available opportunities in that field, because you aren’t necessarily limited by location. While it isn’t looking very likely that this avenue will provide you the greatest sense of artistic fulfillment, you can generate some rewarding cash.
Not every goal in life plays out the way we would like it to. Though it is many years ahead of you, I can see you as the proprietor of a music store. Sometimes we have to sacrifice what we want to do, and focus on what we need to do. If we’re lucky, those two things can be combined – or at least cross paths.
Good luck!
Red
Ext. 9226
