Author Topic: Passion taking over?  (Read 5202 times)

Offline Smaug

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Passion taking over?
« on: March 02, 2006, 02:19:52 am »
I would love to pursue my passion for playing drums but I am not sure if I could produce the same amount of income for the family if I pursued my dream.  Is it more important to accomplish our material goals or achieve our dreams in our current life?  I included a couple of pictures of my drums.  Let me know what you all think.

Thank you,

Joe

Nicole

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2006, 04:32:58 am »
Well, have you thought about having a flexible "regular" job that would accomodate your drumming? Like, do some session stuff, find gigs on weekends, etc. But still have the "day job"? Until you get big and become a rockstar, of course... ;)

I think that it is important to pursue your dreams, and do whatever you can to make them happen. Of course you also have a responsibility to your family, but I see no reason why that rules out your passion. Go for it.

Offline cuttles/sadieMay

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2006, 09:36:22 am »

I think that it is important to pursue your dreams, and do whatever you can to make them happen. Of course you also have a responsibility to your family, but I see no reason why that rules out your passion. Go for it.
Quote
I would have to agree with Nicole on this one!
I say, if there is a way you should go for it!
P.S. thats a pretty sweet set of drums you have there! ;)
Carole

Offline Anky

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2006, 10:49:50 am »
My fiance Matt got a full drum scholarship to Berklee (Along with an athletic scholarship to Syracuse, both of which he turned down to stay at home and help his mom, but that's another story :P )  Anyways, he works full time during the day and as much as he'd LOVE to make his music his career, he knows that it isnt feasible.  He has a "Family" to take care of now and that comes first.  He does gigs, music lessons, and plays in a jazz band (Although grunge is his first love).  Maybe if I ever start making enough money to support both of us he'd consider it more.  It's up to you.
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Offline The Brindle Pack

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2006, 11:32:48 am »
We all have to make sacrifices.  Growing up I knew that I would either have a career or I would have children but not both.  I became rigid in my thinking as a result of having been raised by a nanny until I was 9, then I became a latch-key-kid.  When I had my son I made sure that I was the one that was going to raise him; it wasn’t easy, especially since many of the early years were as a single mom, but it can be done.  That is my story.  As for his father he is an excellent musician and I believe could have gone far with his dream but due to his family obligations (both his son and a family owned/operated business) he was unwilling to pursue his dream.  My son is now grown; I have no career and my son’s father never made the “big time”.  The good news is that neither one of us has any regrets.  Now that our son is an adult I still don’t have a career but I volunteer with various groups.  As for my son’s father he finally left the family owned business, moved out of state, changed career paths, and the best part….he now has more time to do what he loves.

There is no right or wrong answer.  You have to do what is right for you, keeping in mind that other people depend on you.  Having said that I will add more confusion by saying that life is short and you only live once.  Both of my parents died at a young age (46 & 58) and I learned that the old saying “he who dies with the most toy’s wins” is only a set-up to work yourself into the grave.  I guess the bottom line is to find what YOUR standard of living is and then decided if pursuing your dream will allow for that.  If not you will either have to lower your standards or pursue a career that will afford you the style of life you desire.

Cindy

Offline The Brindle Pack

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2006, 11:37:47 am »
I just had to add that there are those out there (like my current husband) that fall into a career that they love and allows for comfortable standard of living.  I have to say that Mack is the only person that I know that loves his job AND is happy with his standard of living.

Offline Senghe

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2006, 04:02:52 pm »
I'd say don't give up the dream, but don't give up the job either unless you have another one to go to incorportating your passion for drumming.

And remember sometimes when a passion or a dream turns into a career, it becomes mundane and just as boring as a regular job pushing paper or whatever. You might find drumming full time ruins the magic for you. Or even worse, you may find yourself among the ranks of the starving musicians out there and have to sell your beloved drums to keep food on the table.

So I'd keep the job for now, but if the drummer of your favourite band leaves and they come knocking on your door - go for it.  ;D

Offline Smaug

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2006, 07:48:52 pm »
Thank you all,

Your advice is well thought out and sound.  I will follow my heart and faith and maintain the use of common sense while I make this decision.  If I do decide to go into the music business and make it big for someone like Godsmack or Pink Floyd the BPO friends I have made will be the first to know.

Offline Smaug

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2006, 08:03:24 pm »
Oh, forgot to brag a little bit, back in the day, I won the John Phillip Sousa award my senior year in high school, and was offered a full music scholarship from the University of Florida.  I declined the scholarship because I did not know what I would be interested in for a career or college classes and feared I would party my college opportunity away.  If only I knew then what I know now, I would love college and would kick a..  I will always provide for my family first and pursue my dreams as a hobby but I am really getting serious about the hobby.  Thank you again.
Joe

will

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2006, 08:22:28 pm »
wow where do i start?
nice vistalites, btw. 

there is music and then there is the music business.
first what do you want/get our of playing the drums? what i mean is do you see yourself on stage every night playing your hit songs to thousands and thousands of fans?  do you see yourself in the studio keeping the beat for various singer/songwriters and what not?  or do you see yourself playing in a houseband and making serious bank doing cover tunes?  when you are playing the drums what are you thinking about?  are you imaging "success"?  what is "making it" to you?

i'm 29 and I've been playing drums for about 16 years.  i've played in a lot of bands.  even did a US tour in 2004.  I'll first off tell you that is hard. it is tough to keep it together.  the band, your wits, your friendship.   it takes serious comittment.  and not just playing the drums.  you might be the next bonham but if you can't work out band issues then you aren't going to last. and that's what happened to me.  i love playing drums as much as i love painting.  i loved my band.  i loved my bandmates.  i loved our music.  but i didn't love being in a band.  you are married to your bandmates.  you will see all sides of your bandmates and vice versa.  you will find things (if you have already) that they do that annoy the living daylights out of you. and they will continue to do it even if it is brought to their attention.  there will most likely be at least one "blow up" from somebody in the band.  i'm not saying you are guaranteed to break up, i'm saying that tensions get very high when you and 4 or 5 other people are constantly together confined most of the time to a very small area. you sleep together. you eat together.  you work together.  you pee together (depending on the amount of alcohol consumed)   you didn't say what you did for your current job so i can't tell you if you will be able to make the same amount of income.  if you are working a paper route on a bicycle only on mondays from 6-10am.  then yes you will most likely make a little more money.  maybe.  when my band went on tour http://www.theexlovers.com we made exactly enought to buy us gas to the next gig.  we sold a total of 10 t-shirts and about 15 cds.  sometimes we'd do a little better and could afford a hotel or by a meal.  we slept on gracious people's floors otherwise.  it is VERY tight money wise.  we broke even by the time we got home and turned in our uhaul trailer.  and we still had to pay our bills when we got home and uhm we didn't exactly have income those 3 weeks on tour.  i was forced to sell my beloved ibook :-\ and my 10 track digital recorder. 
previously i had quit my boring/frustrating job as a prepress tech.  i made good money but i wanted to go on tour and didn't see any other way around it.

as scary as it was when i got back off tour, we did get by. and it was one of the best times of my life and will carry with me til i die. we played some great shows and met some wonderful people. we also got the chance to hook up with our other friends who had moved out to different places all over the country.  our friends shellshag (http://www.starcleaner.com were on tour with us for the first half and that was awesome too.  we saw the whole country.  rebekah and i would probably never had gotten a chance to do this at least not for a long time.

 unfortnately our band broke up during/right after tour.  so when i got back, i had no job and no band to even give reason to not having a job. 

luckily (financially speaking) i found another job as a prepress tech a few months after yet here i am again, frustrated and stressed out like you wouldn't believe with my current job.  i am not doing what i want with the majority of my days.  but i am working on leaving and pursuing my skills for our own business.   i spend the majority of my waking day working a job i truly do not like.   stress consumes me and more times than i can stand i have brought it home to rebekah and our animals.  right now i work all day. come home, hang with the dogs for a bit and then got to my second non-paying job of painting, working on my feeders or the website, etc. for our business. 

this it just my experience.  not saying it will happen to you.

I say if it is in your blood then you have to do it and none of what i experienced will bother you if you have to go through it.  don't forget you have a family of course.  i wouldn't quit your dayjob unless it is making you physically ill or if your job requires you to do something illegal.  but if you have the heart, desire and dream to play drums, then i would suggest getting a different job that allows you to take time off when you need for gigs/recording.   you might need to eat ramen for a while, but i believe if it is truly in you want to do it will happen.

rebekah gave me some recent help via steve jobs (i love apple computers) 
i highly recomend you read this:

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Offline Smaug

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2006, 06:19:03 pm »
beachfloat,

Thank you for putting this in real life terms.  I was in the Army for four years so a lot of what you described is kind of de JA vague or however that goes.


LaurelGrove,

Yeah, One of the guys that graduated with me also got a scholarship to be a Gator and he did it.  His name is Brent Ellis.  I admired him and respected him all through school and I also consider him a friend.  His scholarship was football and I even saw him a couple of times playing on TV.  Like I said, if only I knew then what I know now I would have, could have, well, guess I will never know.

Joe

Offline Smaug

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2006, 06:29:26 pm »
Too cool, just did a search on my friend from high school that did take the scholarship and he made the made the Florida Football All-Time Numerical Roster whatever that is from 1987 to 1990.  See, told you he is good.  We graduated in 1986 so that leads me to believe he made it all four years as a Gator.  Way to go Brent.  If only I would have had a clue. 

Joe

Offline Smaug

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #12 on: March 04, 2006, 09:51:53 pm »
beachfloat,

Not positive what kind of drumming you did on the major tour, but is sounded like you almost would have preferred not to do the tour, with the exception of the good things that happened.  Now that you mention it, I’m not sure what aspect I would like to pursue, but the tour thing sounds like bad news as I am 38 years old, I think,  I stopped keeping track after 35 or so….  Maybe the recording in the studio thing would be cool.  Thank you for the compliment on the vistalites, I have had them for years and will never part with them as long as I live.

Joe
« Last Edit: March 05, 2006, 03:45:22 am by Smaug »

will

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #13 on: March 05, 2006, 08:50:17 pm »
beachfloat,

Not positive what kind of drumming you did on the major tour, but is sounded like you almost would have preferred not to do the tour, with the exception of the good things that happened.  Now that you mention it, I’m not sure what aspect I would like to pursue, but the tour thing sounds like bad news as I am 38 years old, I think,  I stopped keeping track after 35 or so….  Maybe the recording in the studio thing would be cool.  Thank you for the compliment on the vistalites, I have had them for years and will never part with them as long as I live.

Joe


it was basically a straight up alcohol induced rock and roll band (60's, 70's ish garage stuff)
i was excited. we were all excited, but none of us had been on tour before and i think we all thought it was going to be a vacation.  it was all self promoted-financed.  but you are right i discovered afterwards that touring wasn't the type of musician i wanted to be.  I love playing live, but rebekah and i really missed our dogs, and really missed our "space".  it was a great experience and i feel lucky to have done it.  We currently live in Nashville, and I know you can make serious bank, have a great time and meet some great people doing the sessions thing.  Plus you wouldn't have to leave your family for months on end for touring. If you are leaning towards that I think that would be great for you and your family!

good luck!

-will

Offline Smaug

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Re: Passion taking over?
« Reply #14 on: March 07, 2006, 12:09:06 am »
beachfloat,

What about playing cover songs at the local clubs, if I could make 65  doing that I would be set?  Man I miss the music.  Playing some Sound Garden or Rush covers would be awesome, easy Rush covers mind you.  What kind of bucks can you make doing that and can you survive doing the covers on only Friday and Saturday nights.  I currently live in Jackson, MS so I know what the answer is not here.  Man, as soon as a cool club opens for local talent, they close, guess I would have to go to Memphis or Nashville.  What ya think?  I still like the studio thing better, but, you know, you would have to be as good as you.

Joe