This month, I celebrate the 10th Anniversary of being a self-employed, FULL-TIME Musician and Producer!!
The last job I had was at Guitar Center. I was there for close to 3 years. I'm very grateful to have had that job because I made a lot of connections when I was there. Connections I'm still in contact with to this day. Some, great friends!!
The day I was let go from there, I was relieved because I never really wanted to work for anyone. I can be quite lazy when it comes to doing things other than music. I was also VERY scared because I wasn't performing nearly as much as I do now. I'm up to about 200+ shows a year along with studio and production duties. With the lack of work, I was bringing in very little money and had not idea how I would make ends meet.
On the journey home from that last day there, I was driving up the freeway, and it really hit me that I had no job and no money... tears began to stream down my face. At that moment, I began to pray. "God, I'm not sure what it going on right now, but I never want to work for anyone ever again. I'm not applying for anymore jobs, so music will have to work. if it's your will, please sustain me."
I was living with my mom at the time (23) and wasn't able to pay her rent and I had dropped out of college against her and my father's wishes, so one day she said, "Brandon, it's about time for you to go. I'll give you a week." I said, 'I'll be out by the end of the day. I called my best friend Johnnie who had a house that he had turned into a recording studio. I said, "Man, mama just put me out. I need a place to stay. He said, "Take your stuff to the studio. It's time for the next chapter. You'll get through this." His words were true. It was definitely time for the next chapter, and I got through that rough period in my life.
I'm telling this story to celebrate being sustained and also to encourage someone who thinks they may not be able to make it as a full-time musician. The realistic side of this is that every musicians is not supposed to be full-time. MAKE SURE that your "calling" IS music. This goes for people not in the music industry as well. If you have a dream to be an entrepreneur, go after it. You can do it!!
There's MUCH more to this story. To be continued...
~B.
The last job I had was at Guitar Center. I was there for close to 3 years. I'm very grateful to have had that job because I made a lot of connections when I was there. Connections I'm still in contact with to this day. Some, great friends!!
The day I was let go from there, I was relieved because I never really wanted to work for anyone. I can be quite lazy when it comes to doing things other than music. I was also VERY scared because I wasn't performing nearly as much as I do now. I'm up to about 200+ shows a year along with studio and production duties. With the lack of work, I was bringing in very little money and had not idea how I would make ends meet.
On the journey home from that last day there, I was driving up the freeway, and it really hit me that I had no job and no money... tears began to stream down my face. At that moment, I began to pray. "God, I'm not sure what it going on right now, but I never want to work for anyone ever again. I'm not applying for anymore jobs, so music will have to work. if it's your will, please sustain me."
I was living with my mom at the time (23) and wasn't able to pay her rent and I had dropped out of college against her and my father's wishes, so one day she said, "Brandon, it's about time for you to go. I'll give you a week." I said, 'I'll be out by the end of the day. I called my best friend Johnnie who had a house that he had turned into a recording studio. I said, "Man, mama just put me out. I need a place to stay. He said, "Take your stuff to the studio. It's time for the next chapter. You'll get through this." His words were true. It was definitely time for the next chapter, and I got through that rough period in my life.
I'm telling this story to celebrate being sustained and also to encourage someone who thinks they may not be able to make it as a full-time musician. The realistic side of this is that every musicians is not supposed to be full-time. MAKE SURE that your "calling" IS music. This goes for people not in the music industry as well. If you have a dream to be an entrepreneur, go after it. You can do it!!
There's MUCH more to this story. To be continued...
~B.