Is it a worthwhile endeavor to try to change your passion?

Thread replies: 4
Thread images: 1

Anonymous
Is it a worthwhile endeavor to try to change your passion? 2016-03-10 21:12:23 Post No. 16900641
[Report] Image search: [Google]

File: 1367546023068.jpg (31 KB, 280x280) Image search: [Google]

31 KB, 280x280

Is it a worthwhile endeavor to try to change your passion? Anonymous 2016-03-10 21:12:23 Post No. 16900641 [Report]

I've been making music casually for my entire life. I've never considered this a viable future for my life although I've mused about being a successful musician someday. I told myself a long time ago that I need to get a real career.

I recently started taking classes in community college. I cannot decide on any degree at this point. I've thought about nursing, dental hygiene, regular biology, medical tech, psychology but I can't get myself to commit because I have doubts that I would find satisfaction in any of these areas although I do find them interesting enough to study short term.

I keep falling back into music no matter what I choose. I started and ended a blackened-folk metal band with a dark narrative and dynamic song structure, never had anything professionally recorded. I created 3 different video game soundtracks in FL-studio ranging from 5 to 30 tracks, only one of the games ended up getting made (the one I put the least work into). I've been experimenting with acoustic indie music for years and some of my songs are getting pretty good. I'm really proud of my music hobby but there has yet to be any tangible representation of my work and this has been the biggest discouragement to me.

I'm not technically skilled, I have to compensate with extra practice/focus and cut corners to make things work. I haven't put the effort into realizing my ideas because I have a deep social phobia that stops me from involving myself in other people's affairs. I don't have confidence that others will be able to recognize any worth in my musical ideas (especially since I'm not technically impressive at guitar or sound engineering). I don't really know what I want to do at this point.

I've always clung to the idea of just getting a "real" job and continuing music as a hobby only until someday my skills are good enough to impress but I just took a heavy dose of robotussin the other day and suddenly I realize how silly I was being. Any advice on where to go from here?

>>

Anonymous 2016-03-10 21:51:36 Post No.16900773
[Report]

Anonymous 2016-03-10 21:51:36 Post No.16900773 [Report]

Don't try to change your passion. That never works. Besides, you don't have to.

Instead, accept that, like most musicians, you need a day job. Pick a job you enjoy, and continue pursuing your passion -music- as a hobby. Let it recharge you for your job (because we all need to be recharged for our jobs from time to time), and let the job you enjoy recharge you for your music. This is how to stave off burnout.

>>

Anonymous 2016-03-10 22:22:45 Post No.16900839
[Report]

Anonymous 2016-03-10 22:22:45 Post No.16900839 [Report]

>>16900773
A day job of course. I get by quite well working at a grocery store but I want to have nicer things and the money to support a family someday. For that I'd need a career, which takes hard work and dedication, finite resources that I feel more comfortable devoting to my hobby.

>>

Anonymous 2016-03-10 22:31:07 Post No.16900862
[Report]

Anonymous 2016-03-10 22:31:07 Post No.16900862 [Report]

>>16900641
I can't tell you what you should do. Whether you go down the music path or not is up to you.

Here's the thing: if you want a career in music, then music cannot be a "hobby." People mean well when they say make it a hobby, but that's an incredibly insulting view of it. It can't be a hobby; it needs to be your job. Wherever you work in the meantime to make an income, that's your second job. If you want a job in music, you gotta treat it like one. Make connections, find venues, make tracks to sell, learn how to make a professional looking portfolio. Cultivate the image you want to sell. If you're working at nightclubs, you probably don't want to have your portfolio picture be of you in a business suit.

This is all IF you want to pursue music as a career. If you find that it's not for you, that's fine.