Brian speaks:
Work continues on the studio. Currently trying to find clients. I know they’re out there, I just need to connect with them. If you know someone looking to record, tell ’em to contact me at journeyfrogaudio@gmail.com . They’ll be glad they did.
Okay, enough shameless self-promotion. What else is going on? Life is eerily mundane right now, and no one is more shocked than I am. It’s a little weird not having the structure of school to build my schedule around. For the first time in a couple of years, I don’t have an outside source like my class schedule to regulate my week. If I want to be up at 3:30AM, writing a blog post, no one can tell me not to do so. If I want to pack a bag and drive out to the coast for a couple of days so I can stick my toes in the sand, there’s no automatic penalty imposed by someone.
Of course, if I were to do those things , it takes time away from building my business. I don’t have a big client base that’s flooding my inbox to book sessions. (Not yet, at least. Someday...) No clients equals no income apart from the band, and that’s also not at a point where I’m making a decent living. (Not yet, at least. Someday...) My family would certainly miss me if I were to become totally nocturnal, or absent altogether. Still, I can make those choices, so long as I’m willing to accept the consequences. It’s entirely up to me. Self-employment is weird. Sure, I can’t get fired…but I know exactly how much of a dick my boss is.
Another weird thing? The days when I am working, either with the band or recording in the studio? They’re awesome, and I love them, but there’s a down side to these career choices: I can’t call in sick. Not ever. I’m not a minor cog in a big corporate machine anymore. If I’m not there, someone’s not getting their album recorded, and they’re taking their business elsewhere, and most likely spreading the word that I’m unreliable. I lose not just that client’s business, but who knows how many others? With the band, if I call out for a show, then Paul and Erin are in trouble. Paul has to sing twice as much, and his voice will be in bad shape by the end of the night. Erin will be responsible for keeping Paul in check all by her lonesome, and that’s a two-person job at least. (I’m kidding here, mostly.) We had a night not long ago where Paul was coming down with a pretty rough cold, on the day of an important gig. He soldiered through for as long as he could, but by the last set, his throat was thrashed. We handled it, but just one set with only one vocalist was a challenge.
It’s a new feeling, being necessary. It’s a little scary…but I think I like it.