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#228265 - 02/29/08 10:46 PM Re: How do you find the balance...?
Charles Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 04/19/07
Posts: 28
Loc: orlando florida
I think this is a great question.As someone approaching 62 and about to be celebrate 40 tears of marriage.[Freudian slip] thats:'years'Here is my take:if you have enough money, kids are grown up and the missus is supportive forget balance and do the thing you love.I read somewhere in a survey, elderly folks regretted not taking more chances.I was a pro singer,drummer songwriter for 20 years,went from near stardom to a hotel residency in England[drove me nuts]I have been out of the business for the last 18 yrs and run a lawn service ,sole proprieter,bust my derrier!I certainly dont have enough stashed away for retirement but have started gigging again[on keyboards]and have played about 27 gigs since in the last few months[just seniors for now]My playing seriously sucks ,I struggle with PA and digital pianos,but when I sing and I can tell its beginning to click musically,even the audience notices it .It reminds me of the passion I originally had all those years ago.My 'true north' so to speak.I intend to end up playing some sort of solo jazz and funk set and do private parties,corporate meet and greet etc and dump the lawn business and sing and play till I drop.I also intend on writing again and have put together a little'studio'and will look to get published,again.If you have this in you you have to express it.We all know the entertainment biz sucks and artists are in the main not given their due,you are an artist remember,tip the balance in the right direction.Head North! [I think Iv ebeen watching too much Operah]sincerely,Charles

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#228266 - 03/06/08 03:32 PM Re: How do you find the balance...?
casiobot Offline
Member

Registered: 04/04/05
Posts: 132
Quote:
Originally posted by btweengigs:
Confusious say:
"Three early risings
make an extra day"

I don't know what it means...unless it has something to do with Viagra...but it seemed philosophical enough for this thread.

Eddie


I think it's the predecessor to "Early to bed,early to rise" yada,yada,yada.

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#228267 - 03/06/08 03:35 PM Re: How do you find the balance...?
casiobot Offline
Member

Registered: 04/04/05
Posts: 132
Quote:
Originally posted by captain Russ:
Tonite when Jim (Zuki) comes to Lexington to pick-up his G-70 (Bontempi, actually, he just dosn't know it yet), he'll meet me at a restaurant where I'm playig for an annual Credit Union meeting. Pay: $250 for one hour.

The reason I'm there is I am the marketing V/P/ consultant for this organization. They pay my company $4500.00 per month for the service.

I get lots of my jobs like this...other business relationships.

Thing is, I really don't like to do solo gigs. But, I do them to solidify my other business relationships and to maintain the exposure/contact with key business and community leaders. I've gotten lots of business for my production company playing these kinds of jobs.

All during my work history, I've had to choose between doing what I want to do (playing jazz for little money, for instance)
and doing what pays well.

I don't like commercial photography, but it pays $2000.00 and up per day to take unimaginative photos of equipment for Fortune 500 companies. Creative photography is a much tougher sell and usually generates much less revenue.

I don't like to produce commercial brochures, but the pay is about $3000.00 per finished page to create. For most freelancers, magazine work pays a small percentage of what this work pays.

Some of you heard a recent post of a film rough. It's not close to the music I want to write and record, but it's an essential element of films I produce and the pay is at least $1000.00 per finished minute. I'd love to write and produce a jazz album, but it would be a "crapshoot" to make any significant money.

The choices are to do what you love and starve, to sell out completely and go for the bucks or find a comfortable place somewhere in the middle.

I'm somewhere in the middle and I'm sure a lot of us are.

How do you find the balance point?


Russ


Use your day jobs to finance your creative endeavours and be VERY thankful that you're in a position to do so.
If ANYONE paid me what they're paying you,I don't know if I could stand it! *LOL*

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