Career or Day Job?

I am committed to my music career. It's my passion. It puts a smile on my face and most of all it is the thing that I feel I can contribute the most to the world with.

I recently left my last full time "day job" but as most musicians or creatives know it is rarely as simple as making the decision and just leaving. 

For the last few years I have had a full time day job and  a part time music career. I made the decision this year it was going to be reversed. I would work full time at music and part time in my professional career, so I can still do crazy things like pay rent and eat.

The thing about my "day job" though is that even though it's not my true calling, I'm damn good at it. Which means that I do get enjoyment out of it. I enjoy interacting with people. I like participating in the business sphere and it has helped me a lot in the business aspects of my music career.

Most creatives always feel that they haven't "made it" until they can earn a steady income solely from the area of their creative interest. Or at the very least from complementary fields. For many musicians this means teaching.

I've been lucky enough to build a huge amount of knowledge during my professional career, knowledge that has actually enabled me to make that career reversal. Though the fields I've worked in are not remotely connected to music (retail and IT) they've each taught me critical life lessons.

Plus, the skills, experience, and tools that I've gained during the last few years have actually led to my ability to move to the other side of the world and commit full time to music. 

I don't just mean this in a financial sense, although I have been saving like a doomsday believer for a year to give myself enough security to make the leap, but in addition the tools I've been exposed to and used have led me to building this blog, being able to work remotely from the USA while being legally employed (contracted actually) on my Australian ABN, and given me the understanding and confidence to be able to engage confidently on a business level in an industry that has traditionally had a fairly rocky bridge between the creative and fiscal aspects.

It has made me appreciate that my professional career is not something to put up with until I can replace it with my music, it is in fact something that has helped my music career in almost every aspect and I am incredibly, incredibly lucky to have had that opportunity. In reality both sides of my life are part of one great career that I am still growing in and building on.

Working from Coogee Beach

Filming for HP

Mystery Puzzle with the team

So, if you are sitting in your day job right now dreaming of the days when it's long gone don't forget to make the most of what it's teaching you here and now. You never know when it might come in handy.

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