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Looper's Delight
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On 7/22/64 11:59 AM, Todd Howell wrote: > RW > > There is, I am sure, a purity to your life that mine wouldn't have had >as a professional musician. I wouldn't say that I have a purity that one who doesn't make all their living has, at all. I was the number one on call 'A' sub for 150 bands from Sacramento to Big Sur for about 10 years. I would never leave the door for less than $150 or $200 and I prided myself on it. I worked so hard (and made a lot of money) but I wasn't free at all. It took tremendous energy away from me, despite the fact that I could always turn a gig down to do my own artistry. Suddenly at the turn of the Millenium I realized that there were all these really creative ideas I'd had in my head for so many years that always got back-burnered because of how hard I was working. I realized that I'd let myself get burned out being a professional musician and that I was looking around me and finding that most mid level pro musicians like myself and at my age were not being creative in the slightest and it depressed me greatly. I realized that if I fell back on my teaching alone (and the occasional tour that I truly loved to do or studio work that I loved to do) that I could redevote myself to my artistry and creativity. I didn't do it because it was 'noble'.........I did it because I realized I just wasn't happy unless I made that decision. Now I make 1/2 to 1/4 of what I used to make and sometimes I struggle financially, but I'm a lot happier doing more art in my life (until the last three years when the Looping Festival and a lot of touring began to crowd artistry out of my life again). This year I don't have any tours planned and I'm not going to be active with the Looping Festival for the first time in 10 years. I'm really excited to have a lot more time to devote to writing, learning new instruments and techniques and,importantly, recording the results. But .......some of my very favorite artists on the planet have day jobs. They are inspirations to me. So I would never have an attitude about people who mix art and a day job.....NEVER!!!! Purity is where one finds it. I always tell my students that every one can find 5 minutes in one's daily life to give themselves completely to creativity and art........whilst letting the rest of the world go for a brief while. Most people think, '5 minutes? that's nothing" but I beg to disagree. If 5 minutes is analagous to one of your fingers, then a week of five fingers is a hand and four weeks of 5 fingers is four hands and 12 months of that is 48 hands and in two or three years you can achieve an amazing amount of skill on almost anything. The trick is giving oneself completely to those 5 minutes (15 minutes? one hour? 8 hours? whatever one can give). Anyone can do this...........day job or no. That's my approach at least. rick walker