It’s the busy season – yay!  I love this time of year with the phone ringing almost non-stop, e-mails pouring in, contracts in and out, schedules, deposits, rehearsals, shows, musicians – it goes on and on.  When you are a professional musician, you must stay on top of it all, or you will lose work.  Not just that particular gig, but possibly future calls from that agent or event planner.  It’s a balance every day since we only have 24 hours to accomplish everything.

My “to do” list gets longer and longer as I await replies, work on proposals, and all the other “stuff” I have to do every day.  I write topics for blog posts in between shows, but rarely find the time to flesh them out.  Laundry only seems to get done when I have a few minutes to spare to make sure that I have gig clothes for the next week.  Food becomes an afterthought as it is usually only when my body screams that I need it that I actually give in. This may not the healthiest way, but it seems to be the nature of the business.  No wonder working people eat so much fast food – it’s really all we have time to do in between jobs!  I can truly understand why those who can afford it have personal chefs and other help around the house.  It would be a dream come true to have healthy meals ready when I am available to actually eat them, and to have someone take care of regular household chores on a daily basis.  But I’m not there – yet.

I say “yet” because I believe that I can do what I love and make a decent living doing it.  But I intend to not only make a living for me, I am creating jobs for others so that they can make a good living doing what they love, too.  With the busy season also comes opportunities for me to work with others to create shows and performances where we are all working together.  I’m not interested in competing with other musicians; I think there is enough work for all to be working during this busy season.  But it’s up to you to make it happen.  And now, I’m off to rehearsal for four upcoming shows this week.  Yes, I’m truly thankful for the busy season!