I am seeing my family for 2 and a half weeks, went on a few vacations to Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Milwaukee, and Nashville this year, and I work <30 hrs a week.
I’m just a fucking musician.
Just gonna say it, the “stability” of full time employment is a lie. I learned that “fuck you” money isn’t a lot of money, it’s a lot of revenue streams. When money is freedom, letting one person control your money is letting one person control your freedom.
I’ve never made more money in my life, and even though I need to do my own taxes, contribute to my own Roth IRA, and have my own insurance, the freedom is so worth it.
Follow your skills and follow your passions- you can burn the midnight oil and do the things others won’t. Find a schedule or a method that works for you, and you will never have to send in a PTO request to “HR” ever again.
Employers only lie to you and underpay you. You do have skills. They are underutilized and undervalued. Employers will try to convince you that those aren’t your way out. They are.
Oooof working for a friend can be tough. You think you’re going to have a boss who’s your friend but then your friend becomes your boss. If you need to leave that situation, remember to frame it as “I love our friendship and I don’t want this to hurt it”.
As far as ball size, I guess I think I’ve been stupid so many times I Jacques Clueseau’d my way to where I am, but also I have a personality that tends to downplay risk.
Here’s a story on that:
I worked in Seattle for a start up in “chemical distribution”. It sucked. Everyone was jaded. There was no culture. I was selling something I didn’t know, but the military seemed to want a lot of it. I was there for 2 months, 26 days, and 4 hours.
On my way out, one of the charismatic smiley hot shot salesmen invited me for a farewell drink, just me and him. When we sat down, his demeanor completely changed. He slumped and stared into his glass and said “I don’t have the balls to do what you do. I wanted to be a brewer, but the market is too risky. I’m afraid if never make it so I do this instead. Maybe when I’m old I could make it happen…”
I thought “damn. I don’t have the balls to do what you do”. I mean, putting your life on hold for ~35 years!? I can die so many different ways in that time. Then I get a small window to finally live, but for how long? If you ask me, that’s a MUCH bigger risk. Like be smart, but don’t throw away your passions.
Personally I decided I don’t want to retire. I want to build a life where if I knew I’d die tomorrow I’d do nothing different about my routine.
I have been working almost 4 years with my friend now and we have an open discourse on what is expected of each other, so the line is very clear between work and friendship.
I don’t plan on exiting in the next few years, but I have to have a plan if I need to get out.
These years have been eye opening on what I want in life. The freedom it provides has no price, and I agree with you that the job security is a lie. The moment the company doesn’t need you, you get fired and that’s that. There is uncertainty between contracts, but otherwise it is the same as a normal job except you make your hours.
I’m moving to Southeast Asia to grow my business. Right now, I’m making $30-50k gross revenue before expenses; solid, but not enough to live comfortably in the West. So I’m heading to Kuala Lumpur, a city I love, where the cost of living is super affordable. I’ll work a bit, enjoy tons of free time, explore the region, lower my stress, and live much better overall. Sure, I could take a $200k job in NY/LA/SF, but after taxes, rent, and everything else, what’s the point? Freedom isn’t just about fuck you money or revenue streams, it’s about being geographically neutral and choosing the best places on the planet for quality of life and value.
I’m a musician in Chicago, so I have the benefit of a vibrant industry with relatively low cost of living (compared to LA or NYC). My revenue is essentially 3 streams - education, gigs, and composition/ director work.
I have several private students and after school group lessons that make up 45% of my income. Gigs with my band and as a “hired gun” make up 25%, and working with theaters and film producers makes up 30%, and that sector is growing fast.
Since I have experience as an improv comedian and know my way around a keyboard, I’ve been able to get booked for improv shows to underscore the cast with either the right vibe for the scene or some sound effects that hit with good timing. Those pay anywhere between $50-$200 for an hour set. Those are the most fun too.
Side note: my degree was in political science, and I had a decade in marketing and sales roles. I just loved learning new instruments, writing music, and watching music theory YouTube videos. I’m not the best musician, but among musicians I’m the best comedian, and among comedians I’m the best musician.
I was a band kid in school, so I do have a lot of mileage there, but I played horns and learned guitar on the side.
The thing with music directing is you need to be proficient in piano. I’m not a pianist, but when my friend invited me to shadow him at a show just a year and a half ago, I told him “I can read a keyboard but I don’t really play piano”. He said “neither did I”.
It’s amazing how fast you can learn an instrument when you are paid to do so. I can now play most any jazz standard and through teaching small children the basics, I’m able to sorta sight read melodies.
This was me.
I now am free lance, so I don’t get any PTO.
I am seeing my family for 2 and a half weeks, went on a few vacations to Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Milwaukee, and Nashville this year, and I work <30 hrs a week.
I’m just a fucking musician.
Just gonna say it, the “stability” of full time employment is a lie. I learned that “fuck you” money isn’t a lot of money, it’s a lot of revenue streams. When money is freedom, letting one person control your money is letting one person control your freedom.
I’ve never made more money in my life, and even though I need to do my own taxes, contribute to my own Roth IRA, and have my own insurance, the freedom is so worth it.
Follow your skills and follow your passions- you can burn the midnight oil and do the things others won’t. Find a schedule or a method that works for you, and you will never have to send in a PTO request to “HR” ever again.
Employers only lie to you and underpay you. You do have skills. They are underutilized and undervalued. Employers will try to convince you that those aren’t your way out. They are.
Fuck it AMA
How huges are you balls? Are we talking like baseball big, or wheelbarrow big?
I am in a position where I work for a friend but I have basically a freelancing job, and I start to realize what you are saying.
I am starting to build my exit plan in case it doesn’t work out for whatever reason, and I cannot see myself going back to a 9 to 5 job.
Oooof working for a friend can be tough. You think you’re going to have a boss who’s your friend but then your friend becomes your boss. If you need to leave that situation, remember to frame it as “I love our friendship and I don’t want this to hurt it”.
As far as ball size, I guess I think I’ve been stupid so many times I Jacques Clueseau’d my way to where I am, but also I have a personality that tends to downplay risk.
Here’s a story on that:
I worked in Seattle for a start up in “chemical distribution”. It sucked. Everyone was jaded. There was no culture. I was selling something I didn’t know, but the military seemed to want a lot of it. I was there for 2 months, 26 days, and 4 hours.
On my way out, one of the charismatic smiley hot shot salesmen invited me for a farewell drink, just me and him. When we sat down, his demeanor completely changed. He slumped and stared into his glass and said “I don’t have the balls to do what you do. I wanted to be a brewer, but the market is too risky. I’m afraid if never make it so I do this instead. Maybe when I’m old I could make it happen…”
I thought “damn. I don’t have the balls to do what you do”. I mean, putting your life on hold for ~35 years!? I can die so many different ways in that time. Then I get a small window to finally live, but for how long? If you ask me, that’s a MUCH bigger risk. Like be smart, but don’t throw away your passions.
Personally I decided I don’t want to retire. I want to build a life where if I knew I’d die tomorrow I’d do nothing different about my routine.
I have been working almost 4 years with my friend now and we have an open discourse on what is expected of each other, so the line is very clear between work and friendship.
I don’t plan on exiting in the next few years, but I have to have a plan if I need to get out.
These years have been eye opening on what I want in life. The freedom it provides has no price, and I agree with you that the job security is a lie. The moment the company doesn’t need you, you get fired and that’s that. There is uncertainty between contracts, but otherwise it is the same as a normal job except you make your hours.
I’m moving to Southeast Asia to grow my business. Right now, I’m making $30-50k gross revenue before expenses; solid, but not enough to live comfortably in the West. So I’m heading to Kuala Lumpur, a city I love, where the cost of living is super affordable. I’ll work a bit, enjoy tons of free time, explore the region, lower my stress, and live much better overall. Sure, I could take a $200k job in NY/LA/SF, but after taxes, rent, and everything else, what’s the point? Freedom isn’t just about fuck you money or revenue streams, it’s about being geographically neutral and choosing the best places on the planet for quality of life and value.
What industry are you freelancing on?
I’m a musician in Chicago, so I have the benefit of a vibrant industry with relatively low cost of living (compared to LA or NYC). My revenue is essentially 3 streams - education, gigs, and composition/ director work.
I have several private students and after school group lessons that make up 45% of my income. Gigs with my band and as a “hired gun” make up 25%, and working with theaters and film producers makes up 30%, and that sector is growing fast.
Since I have experience as an improv comedian and know my way around a keyboard, I’ve been able to get booked for improv shows to underscore the cast with either the right vibe for the scene or some sound effects that hit with good timing. Those pay anywhere between $50-$200 for an hour set. Those are the most fun too.
Side note: my degree was in political science, and I had a decade in marketing and sales roles. I just loved learning new instruments, writing music, and watching music theory YouTube videos. I’m not the best musician, but among musicians I’m the best comedian, and among comedians I’m the best musician.
How long did you learn instruments before you made this your full-time?
I was a band kid in school, so I do have a lot of mileage there, but I played horns and learned guitar on the side.
The thing with music directing is you need to be proficient in piano. I’m not a pianist, but when my friend invited me to shadow him at a show just a year and a half ago, I told him “I can read a keyboard but I don’t really play piano”. He said “neither did I”.
It’s amazing how fast you can learn an instrument when you are paid to do so. I can now play most any jazz standard and through teaching small children the basics, I’m able to sorta sight read melodies.