Nowadays, it’s not difficult to encounter individuals who seem to carry an aura of entitlement. I’m pretty sure you’d say it’s not you. However, you can’t speak for the person next to you.
A couple of days ago, I was having a conversation with a fellow artist, who’s identity I will conceal to keep his privacy. So for this story’s sake, I’ll just refer to him as HBOM.
HBOM is an award winning Rap artist, who made it big in the Philippines. At the turn of the millennium, he decided to pack up his bags to move to Vegas and live a quiet life. However, once an artist... always an artist. So whenever an OPM act would come to Vegas, HBOM would front for them and this would get him pretty pumped up. And honestly, it really does get you pumped up... the screaming fans, the lights... they add to the allure of fame or pseudo fame or both.
While we were having brunch before our show in South Orange County, HBOM and I had an opportunity to talk about the financial cost of maintaining a passion such as ours, which was creating and performing live music in front of an audience.
HBOM carried a day job and he stated that he stood to lose money rather than gain because his weekly paycheck was far more greater than his current talent fee. And this is so true! People who carry a day job can attest to the fact that once you’re paid time off (PTO) has been used, any time off you request is covered by your own dime. I told him that, because I also had a day job, we were in the same position. And because my band had been doing a lot of weekend shows in the states and Canada, there have been a lot of Fridays and Mondays that I’ve had to call in for work. And so today, I’m through with my PTO or paid time off or vacation hours. But I digress.
HBOM told me that every time he is offered an opportunity to perform, he doesn’t ask “how much will you pay me?” Instead, he would dig deep inside his heart to honestly asks himself “how badly do I want this?”
We often find excuses NOT to pursue what we want. We tend to get creative with our excuses. At the first sign of conflict, we fold. We pack it up and go home. “How bad do you really want it?”
Being in a band is a commitment. Being in a touring band carries even more commitment. Being in a touring band on the weekends and having a regular job during the week is an even bigger commitment. What about being in a touring band and carrying a day job and being a husband and a dad? That’s also an even bigger commitment.
Somewhere in the above paragraph, anybody can make the most creative excuse. But how bad do you really want to achieve your passion’s full potential?
Only you can answer that. Leave a comment =)
And as long as your head stays where it is and doesn’t get in the way... you should be good to go!
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