As a child, I was very particular about how I approached any extracurricular activity or hobby. If I was going to be a part of something, I was going to see it through to the end or master my craft, which for someone under the age of ten, was a pretty ballsy move. When I said I wanted to play lacrosse at age nine, what I really meant to say was I wanted to play college lacrosse. Check that off. Watches? I had to purchase a book to read about every piece of a chronograph. As for music, it was more so a visceral movement than anything else. Despite other passions and hobbies finally having faded in and out, music remains constant.
I remember going with my dad to his job for some forgotten reason and seeing the seemingly endless rows of cubicles and the lack of color. My father is someone who is able to do his work and turn off the proverbial switch at the end of the workday. I can safely say that I need my work to resonate with me to the point where it doesn’t feel like work at all. Granted, my father enjoyed his work in his own way, but I didn’t see the attraction to an office job. Yes, it’s a grand notion but I prefer to think of it as the long term goal. From childhood through my professional career I’ve thousands of hours perfecting my craft and discovering new ways to carve out a niche for myself. For some, a job is just a job and a degree holds no sense of identity even with extra letters attached. But for artists with or without degrees, for vocational trainees, for anyone who’s job transcends their “workday”, those are the lucky individuals who can thank some cosmic power for another day.
Sadly, sometimes the pressures of life, whether they be personal or professional can cause us to have to divert from our original plan. The important thing to remember is that not matter what you’re doing for money, you’re still what you trained to be. I’ve held jobs completely aside from music. I still called myself a musician first every time I introduced myself or had to say what my profession was. Whatever you’re doing is right. Hang in there.