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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
OT: Mental Health In The Music Industry
OT: Mental Health In The Music Industry
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Komuso
799 posts
Jan 21, 2019
12:30 AM
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Mental Health In The Music Industry: A Frank Discussion
Important topic that doesn't get enough sunlight.
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
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jbone
2811 posts
Jan 21, 2019
1:38 PM
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Good article. I have not read it all as yet but it is a valid concern.
I have felt many times in past years that very few cared about my avocation, from family through club owners, friends through patrons at venues. It's been a lot of uphill struggle and at some point I pretty much decided I'd work a "straight job" until retirement, and play whenever I could. That worked pretty well although it has had its thankless moments.
Some 8 or 9 years ago we released our first CD. It was met with some acclaim but the seamy underside was, we began to feel left out at every turn in our music community. Granted we were never the ones who hung out drinking and getting high with the "hip" crowd where we were, but instead focused our energy on making high quality music and trying to connect with opportunities. In that city it became near impossible to find any paying gigs, so we accepted that we were on the fringe.
We found street gigs. We played out of town around the state. We just found a way. We began planning what to do after retirement. Sit at home and not see the country since our $$ would keep a small house but not allow travel? Or figure pout how to travel, play music wherever we could, see the country, and live some version of the dream? So we studied options, planned an exit, and made it happen. We hit the road in '17 and had some great times in many locations. Had a setback, lost our rolling home.
Settled down again, in an apartment in a new city, and worked our asses off to save up for a fresh travel rig. In the intervening 5 years we did 2 more CD's, the last one of which we did the graphics at an rv park on the road.
About 5 weeks ago we paid cash for a new to us travel trailer- after some real struggle in '18- and we have now been on the road again for over a month. I have a new job that begins in about a month. I have other opportunities that will put us in various places in a given year. We are seeking gigs everywhere we go.
So the dream has met reality, but it's not all bad. We may never be juke box heroes or touring stars, but we chose this life so we could play music, spread joy, and see this big country. And that's what we're doing!
So for us, we had to modify our vision and find a way to go forward. We happen to love playing music as a duo anyway, and of course we like to make a few bucks, but if we get to meet our needs and travel that means a lot too. The future may be unknown to some extent but if we can plan where we'll be and for how long we can find a way to do the dream. I'm even hoping we can write some more new material and record in the next year.
Upshot is, you can find a way to do what you want if you use your imagination and make a plan, then adapt the plan to reality. We all have to take care of ourselves, and each other where we can.
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.
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BronzeWailer
2090 posts
Jan 21, 2019
7:14 PM
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I have seen a fair amount of it in the musos I've associated with. Yes, probably deserves more discussion and (probably) government help. I talk to people I know are struggling, including visiting a friend yesterday who just got scheduled for mental health reasons. Just talking and being there for them is important, I think.
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jbone
2812 posts
Jan 21, 2019
8:36 PM
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I wanted to say my point with all I said above is, those of us who dance on the edge don't have to fall off into oblivion. My musical journey truly began years- a decade- AFTER I got clean and sober and let go of some very old ideas.
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.
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