Web Analytics

A Job for a Singer

Finding a day job that supports you financially with the flexibility you require for a singing career is tough. Add the basic need of quality of life (e.g. eating decent food, being able to stay out of debt, and havi reasonable health care options) and it seems almost impossible. But it's not. And you might even find a job that's fun and leaves you with enough energy in the evening to practice and enjoy your free time.

1. Calculate: Find out how much you will be paid, figure out what it will cost you to work there (gas, parking, oil changes, lunch, clothing, etc.) and see if you really can afford to have that job. (See What Your Teacher Never Told Youfor more on being an entrepreneur and making it work.)

2. Location, Location, Location: Keep the job as close to your home as possible. Time commuting/sitting in traffic is wasted time.

3. Specificity: Artists tend to have crazy schedules and any kind of routine can sometimes get lost--because we simply don't have it (sometimes). Try to land a decent job with specific hours and specific duties. Let the job keep you grounded in routine and it will help shape the rest of your week. If you know you have rehearsal every Tuesday and you teach every Thursday night, knowing that your Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule is 8-5 and done, you're more likely to be able to balance out stressful times and stay on top of your practicing and marketing.

Specific duties can also help--musicians tend to juggle more balls than most and a job with enough routine activities to keep you grounded and stable at work (but not too much to be deathly boring) can help focus you.

4. Trial & Error: If you start a job and discover it's draining or you have toxic colleagues or the commute is indeed too long or the hours are constantly changing or it just doesn't suit you or whatever--dump it. You are worthy a day job that supports you and brings you a few steps forward, but not one that drains you or brings toxicity or chaos into your life. (Been there, done that, didn't even get a t-shirt.)

5. Spin It: You've gotta do what you've gotta do, so have fun and treat it as your "cover." Whenever anybody at one of my other jobs hears my music and asks, "What are you doing here?" I respond, "This is my cover."  *wink*

0 comments

There are no comments yet. Be the first one to leave a comment!

Leave a comment