I have quit my job !

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Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

I have quit my job !

I didnt quit for flamenco I should say that
Is still to soon to know if i did the right thing or not, I mean I was earning ok money but it was all going in paying for parking fines (for working in the city) and lunch and all kinds of crap.

When I was working all i could think off doing is getting home to play guitar and since I am not paying for parking fines every day and lunch and coffe etc. it seems like i even have more money in my pocket atm.I play guitar 12 to 14 hours a day every day, the other day I woke up at 9am out of habbit and played guitar for about 12 hours and I loved it. (on a side note after 12 hours of practicing, your picados are ****ing fast !!!

).
Now reality check I owe so much money for fines etc. I live alone and i pay all the bills alone so I have to somehow make some money ( i mean i get a litlle for accompanying classes & shows ) but not enough to survive of it I am going to have to get another job somewhere else but man I am loving life atm ;-)
But my question is why am I feeling so gulty tho ?
I am sorry i know this post is kind of going nowhere but i feel like sharing.
Anyway I am gonna try and do this as much a circumstances allow and hopefully find a way to play guitar all day I dont know mibe learn alot of light background music and do some weddings, private gigs mibe that might keep things happening for me, let me know about your experiences and suggestions, is there anyone here that can just play guitar all day and is doing ok for money too ?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 20:41:00

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Florian,
you are probably feeling guilty because you have been programmed by society and family since youth to work at a crappy job you hate. A lot of people are threatened by people who like their jobs.

As far as making money, that's a hard one... if you want to be a background player like me, then you need to find out who hires musicians and play what they want. Luckily for me, i can play the stuff I like (flamenco, classical, South American) and keep pretty busy. I don't know what the market is where you are. You may consider moving to a bigger city if there is little music market.

You need to consider yourself a businessman in the business of sales and marketing, not a musician. You need to see what musicians are keeping busy and how you can get in on the action. You need to treat clients and potential clients with respect and professionalism, not like a musician (that means no yelling "**** you!" to the audience!).

You might also try to find some teaching gigs, teach random people, maybe hook up to a studio.

None of these are particularly fun, but they will enable you to make some money making music. And you have a better shot reaching your musical goals devoting your time to music than parking fines.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 20:50:13

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Hey I didnt yell **** you at them :-) I went sat down at theyr table after the show and told em **** you, why did you sitt at the front ? and that only happened once.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 21:04:01

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

You feel quilty cause there are people without a job who would do anything to have your old job.

Do you have money for unemplyed people in Australia?? (i don´t know what it´s called in english) Do gigs,teach and get this unemployment thing.

Henrik

_____________________________

This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

RON

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 21:15:16

flyeogh

Posts: 729
Joined: Oct. 13 2004

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Florian

I gave it up in 87 and went sat on the beach at Tarifa for 3 months windsurfing whenever the wind and waves came. Returned to not much and decided never to work for a company again - but things happened. Enjoy and let it happen. Just always smile and get up early - these are the secrets of success at whatever you do IMHO

. What the hell the guilt trip is I hav'nt a clue

_____________________________

nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 21:26:33

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Florian,
I guess maybe I have always had a bit of the Gitano in my genes somewhere..

When I was maybe 13 or so, I was building short wave radios and amplifiers and electronic gizmos... I was really crazy on it, spending all my allowance on bits and stuff.

When I grew up, I didn't really like this idea of going to work and doing something that didn't really grab my attention completely, although given time, your current project, due to social and peer pressure made you feel that this is was the most interesting thing you have ever done in your life, although an inner voice told you it was crap and irrelevant! LOL!
Thankfully, I don't have to think like that anymore.
Like, the first time this happened to me I was about 18, I was really interested in my work as an Electronics Engineer...but this time there was a postal strike on, which meant that we couldn't get parts or anything, so couldn't build stuff or do anything at all.
All we did was smoke and look out of the window and try and look busy if the boss came in.
It was a beautifully hot Summer's day, and we hung out the window, watching the local cats stalking the passing birds, when suddenly I thought..."This is just like being in jail...only getting paid for it!! "

My friend and colleague, Allen, who owned a motorbike said "Fancy making a break for it?"
I agreed that this day was too hot and sweltering and beautiful to be stuck indoors....so at lunchtime we got on the bike and went for a 50 mile ride up into the beautiful Trossachs of Scotland!!
Of course, the next day, we were called in, as to why we weren't in at work (although there was no work to do).

Later, I quit and went to Spain
My appreciation for relative "freedom" has always haunted me since.
Sure, I had to do loads of Payo jobs on coming back.
I don't earn a lot of dough now, but I've managed to live the last 20 years without "clocking in".
Mabye that's silly, 'cos I was certainly earning heaps of money as a Design Engineer in the Offshore Industry, before I jacked it in, 'cos I was fed up of being a conveyor belt rat, sleeping, driving to work, working, driving home and sleeping.

I dunno...I'm probably covering the same ground here that everybody else has felt themselves.

But my freedom has always been really, really important to me...

cheers

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 21:34:24

Mark2

Posts: 1878
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Freedom is what it's all about! A buddy of mine came back from Spain after living there ten years. He said flamenco is about freedom. For me now, surfing is freedom. If you can make money and feel free at the same time-you got it made. If not, well you can work towards it. When I was making a living playing guitar, I didn't feel guilty, but did feel a bit under utilized some of the time. It was a lot of sitting around a hotel room waiting. Waiting for a rehearsal, waiting for the gig, waiting for the manager, wait, wait wait. So you get bored and start smoking, drinking, and womanizing. ...........not a bad deal. Flamenco is a bit different-at least for me. It's so challenging you could practice 12 hours a day and still be lacking something. I don't think I could practice that much at this stage of my life, but for those of you who can and want to, go for it and enjoy. No need to feel guilty Florian-it's an honorable and interesting way to spend your time. Make the most of it.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 21:51:07

ToddK

Posts: 2961
Joined: Dec. 6 2004

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

When Ron says,

"working driving sleeping driving working driving sleeping"

That kind of life scares the pee out of me.

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 21:53:22

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to ToddK)

Thats what i´ve been fighting against all since i got in my head to play music..
-you nead to do something you like, i said to my self in 5th grade. And thats it.
I have only had 2 "normal" jobs ever. In a grocery store,just for 2 months one summer.
And once october ,november at a Zoo. When i made enough money to by the Marshall amp i wanted i quite.

this is a tochy subject for some.... I do what i do now, because it allows me to play guitar all
day,and even if it´s not the music i prefer to play It´s still hell of a lot better than doing some "normal" 9-5 job.

Id rather go on welfare and get the gigs i can than do something i DON´T care for.

Henrik

_____________________________

This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

RON

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 8 2005 22:38:01

Thomas Whiteley

Posts: 786
Joined: Jul. 8 2003
From: San Francisco Bay Area

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Ron.M)

quote:

I was fed up of being a conveyor belt rat, sleeping, driving to work, working, driving home and sleeping.

Ron;

I enjoyed my years as an electronics engineer working on things like the Apollo and LEM projects, F-111 Radar, and all kinds of audio and video goodies at Ampex. There has been little electronics manufacturing in the United States for the last 15 years so I went into programming.

The job market has really changed these days. The description you gave above has improved - from a company view point! To be a good little employee you simply stay at work 24/7 and thus save all that time driving to and from work.

There is no need for sleep as there is more to do then ever. Fewer people are doing more work so they call it "increased productivity". Such is the life in "Lovely Silicon Valley".

_____________________________

Tom
http://home.comcast.net/~flamencoguitar/flamenco.html

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 9 2005 2:52:09

Escribano

Posts: 6417
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Good for you!

You know how I feel about it don't you. I haven't felt any guilt, well maybe just a bit but the last month has been one of the nicest in a long time. As Nigel says "things will happen" just hang out a little and I am sure you will be in a better position to ride an opportunity as it passes by.

I have just been cancelling my bank direct debits and am astonished at the money I was spending in order to live somewhere to earn that money!

My total outgoings are 25% of what they were and I hope to get them lower. You don't need that much to be happy and now I am spending my time and money on stuff I want to do... which, on some days is nothing at all

Then again, if you can get the airfare together and a little of the folding stuff, you are welcome in my house for a while.

_____________________________

Foro Flamenco founder and Admin

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 9 2005 9:46:02

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Thank you Simon you are very kind, ant thank you everyone i feel less gulty now.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 9 2005 10:26:38

larone

Posts: 242
Joined: Nov. 19 2004

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Well from my experience anyone who isn't a musicain/artist of some kind doesn't know what it's like at all. To have this energy inside that comes out of us through our instrument, it's a very excitng and (to be a hippy) Spiritual......Flamenco to me is the most spiritual music i've ever played and if i can dedicate my whole life to this style then i want to do just that. As far as work goes i think the best thing to do is look on the net for teaching jobs in schools. Private schools are the best (more $$) I started working at a primary school this year and i have 35 students on a friday which adds up to about $350 for one days work, then i work at a music shop for one day ($100) , so 2 days of the week down and i have enough cash to survive. School holidays are a bit hard so that's when you go gig crazy!!! So if you add gigs on top of that and i'm loaded. Some poor people work in an office 9-5 all week climbing the ladder to the top for this amount of cash i get, but they're unhappy cos there life is all about money, so if they don't shoot themselves along the way they may end up at the top with heaps of cash and an artery in their heart which is going to explode any second. NOT FUN!!!!
Life is supposed to be fun - flamenco is fun - life is flamenco!
I love playing guitar, it's all i wanna do so i'm gonna do all i can to do what i want.
FLAMENCO

All the best
Larone

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 10 2005 1:57:11

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to larone)

I always try to tell my hard rocking friends, to start teaching at a music school.
It´s a real job with plenty of playing time. It´s a lot better than working at a factory playing only at weekends.

_____________________________

This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

RON

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 10 2005 7:42:22

aloysius

Posts: 233
Joined: Apr. 7 2005
From: Adelaide, Australia

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Good to see you're able to spend as much time as you want on the guitar now - I remember when you left your dept store job years ago, your playing improved out of sight. It's definately possible to make a living from guitar in Adelaide - I've been off the dole for three years now - doing teaching as well as gigs definately helps. Good luck with it, will catch up soon.
Aloysius

_____________________________

www.guitarsketches.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 10 2005 8:07:30

jimbomac888

Posts: 17
Joined: Feb. 10 2005

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

Hey Guys, I've been searching for time to Play also!!! No matter how many hours I practice or play its just not enough. I work as a waiter from 4:30pm-1am and go to sleep at 3 and wake up at 12 and play for 4 hours until I hit work. I'm also in college full time so when that starts this fall I have to attend school and work part time. But Playing Flamenco makes me feel really free, I feel as if I'm on top of the world and it is very satisfying. It is the only thing that clears off my mind and keeps me off stress...... I really want to teach once I start to really get everything down with the guitar. I also want to quit my job or dont even go to classes so I can play guitar, but then that MAKES ME FEEL GUILTY! Thinking about these tings are frustrating and it could roam around your head by driving you nuts.!

_____________________________

Jim Oran

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 2 2005 7:34:02

Ryan002

Posts: 173
Joined: Oct. 18 2005
From: Singapore

RE: I have quit my job ! (in reply to Florian)

When I was a kid, my dad was meant to be a professional pianist, and my mum was heavily into the academic aspects of music. They tried oh so hard to make me an organist (Dad said that's where the glory was). How I rebelled. In all those years of musical training, I seriously managed to learn nothing.

Years pass. Dad and mum now work in corporate establishments, having decided they can't keep going on music alone. I'm studying and they are all going on and on about how hard it is to get a job etc. Then one day, out of the blue, I mumur "Maybe I will quit and become a full time musician".

Should have seen the reaction.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 28 2005 6:45:38