Jun 15, 2020
Something that I've experiencedover the last decade or so is people saying to me so what do youactually do? Like, during the daytime in the week, what are youdoing? Have you ever had a friend or even family member say to you‘so when are you going to get a proper job?’. The title ‘freelancemusician’ can sound quite airy fairy, and the concept of being afreelance musician is alien to many people, so these areunderstandable questions. For many people being a freelancemusician has never entered their circle of possibility, they’veprobably never met someone with a freelance career, and the imagethey have in their head could well be of a broke rock bandtravelling the country in a battered minibus, living off greasytakeaways. But even amongst musicians there can sometimes bemisconceptions around what this kind of career can look like -maybe you want, or already have, a freelance lifestyle and thesemisconceptions are still lurking at the back of your mind, holdingyou back from achieving your full potential.
Misconceptionnumber 1: It’s not possible to earn a living and support yourselfas a freelance musician
I would say without a doubt thisis the most common concern that exists when it comes tofreelancing. Why? Well probably because in some cases it’s beenproven true. As humans we like to focus on the scary stories, thestories that reinforce our fears and concerns and tell us to playit safe. But guess what, if we set out to do something believingit’s not really possible, then all we are going to do is proveourselves right. Limiting mindset = limitedsuccess.
Now I’m not saying you have toconstantly be feeling positive and continuously succeeding, becauseof course there will be days when you struggle, days when you feeldisheartened and days when you want to give up. I have them all thetime. But if your core belief is ‘I know this IS possible’, thenyou will be able to overcome those feelings, push through thosedown times and keep striving towards your goal.
So where does this belief thatit IS possible come from? Where do you find that underlyingresolve? You look at the evidence! How do I know it’s possible toearn a living and support yourself as a freelance musician? BecauseI’ve done it! My husband has done it, I have many, many friends andcolleagues who have done it. Am I a millionaire with a 10 bedmansion, swimming pool and tennis court? No! Do I drive a fancysports car? No! (I actually really love my little ford focus!) ButI’m not talking about reaching the dizzy heights of fame andfortune, I’m talking about earning enough to make a living and beself-sufficient.
Now let’s just take a moment toestablish something that is crucial here - being easy and beingpossible are two very different things. I’m not saying that earninga living and supporting yourself as a freelancer is EASY, I’msaying it’s POSSIBLE. Because it takes a lot of hard work, awillingness to do the not so fun jobs as well as the exciting ones,self-discipline to put in the hours and manage your own schedule,and a determination to keep going when something doesn’t work out.Because for every idea that works there will be one that doesn’t,and there will be many downs as well as ups. But the evidencesuggests that it is possible, so making the decision to freelancedoes not automatically mean you take a vow of poverty.
And the beauty of freelancingmeans that you’re not just restricted to doing one thing - youalways have the option to diversify, to be creative and use all ofyour skill set. Which, in uncertain times such as the currentcoronavirus world pandemic we are going through, is crucial. Ifpart of your freelance portfolio is not music related, because youhave another skill that you can develop as an income stream, thisdoes not in any way mean you are not a credible musician, it meansyou are a smart entrepreneur.
Misconceptionnumber 2: Life on the road is exciting, glamorous andinsta-worthy.
While some people have thebattered minibus, greasy takeaways image as their definition offreelancing, those of us who are dreamers might picture a jetsetting lifestyle, visiting glamorous cities, exotic destinationsand luxury hotels. Let me be honest with you, since 2012 I havedone a lot of travelling as a musician, through performing with myflute and piano duo and working as a music examiner, both abroadand all over the UK. The first performing contract we had as a duosaw us flying out to Tahiti and joining a luxury cruise ship for 10days. We visited Bora Bora, and then sailed across theInternational Date Line to New Zealand where we stopped off atseveral beautiful locations before flying home from Auckland. Inmany ways this was the trip of a lifetime, BUT I spent the firstfive days feeling really ill from the jet lag and adjusting tobeing on a moving ship. And two back to back 13 hour flights is notfun! There was the time we had to do a 36 hour journey home fromPunta Arenas at the very bottom of Chile, and I had a massive panicattack before boarding our second flight due to just beingcompletely exhausted. Or more locally, when I spent a couple ofweeks working near Belfast in the middle of winter, staying in areally grubby B&B having gone through a break up just a weekbefore, and all I wanted to do was go home! My husband and Iregularly have to spend chunks of time away from each other, andthis isn’t easy. Neither is having to miss big family occasions offriends’ weddings.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am sograteful for every one of my travelling experiences, however nearor far they have been, and I would do them all over again, but itis worth having a balanced view of this kind of lifestyle, andknowing that with the glamour and excitement comes the need to makesome sacrifices.
MisconceptionNumber 3: The best musicians get the most work
I could almost hear your shockedintake of breath when I said that - ‘what do you mean, ofcourse the best musicians get the most work!!’. Let me explain: ifyou leave music college with an attitude that says - ‘I know I’m anincredible musician, come on work, come and find me!’ - it’s notgoing to happen. As a freelancer, work doesn’t come to you, youhave to go and find it. You have to put yourself out there, do thenetworking, send the emails, make the phone calls, put in the hardgraft. And when you start to see results, you then have to turn upon time, be reliable, be nice to be around, give your best to thejob, so that you'll get booked again. It doesn't matter how great amusician you are, if you are unreliable, disrespectful and shoddyin your work ethic, then no one will want to work with you. Nowthis isn’t an excuse to not practice, to not keep improving yourskills as a musician, because of course being the best musician youcan be is always going to play a big part in building up yourfreelance portfolio. But it’s not the ONLY factor, and I thinksometimes these peripheral elements get forgotten about, when inactual fact they are the glue that holds your freelance careertogether.
So there you have it - the topthree misconceptions around being a freelance musician! Have theseever crossed your mind? Has someone told you that a freelancecareer isn’t possible? Share this post with them and maybe it willopen up the door for a helpful discussion.
If you’re keen to know more onhow you can establish a successful freelance career, I have a freemini email course which teaches some of the key elements you needin place to do just that. All you need to do is sign up atbit.ly/freelancemusicianworkshop and it will landstraight into your inbox.
Dream big, work hard and goshare your gifts with the world!
