Ooh I need your crabbiness, baby, eight days a week.

But, unless one is at the level of, say, a Bob Dylan or a Barbra Streisand who can call their own shots, isn't even music always on someone else's terms when it is a means of earning a living as opposed to being a hobby? The record company's, the promoter's? Even the local municipality that imposes the curfew at the live show? The union local that says the road crew can't do this or that? And in the olden days the radio station that said the track was too long to be played on the air? It's always something, whatever the job!

There's a degree of flexibility for the weekend warrior - I can choose whether or not I want to do a gig because my living doesn't depend on it (though I rarely turn one down). I'd lose that flexibility if I went pro.

However - by maintaining a day job, I can still write songs and get them out there myself. With sites like you tube and facebook, self-promotion via the internet is actually a viable option for those that can support themselves via other means, therefore bypassing the need to deal with the Simon Cowells of the world ...

I absolutely fu(king loathe the expression "live to work / work to live". Its such a complete and utter shite attempt to white-wash the fact that working is nothing more than theft and buggery of your time on this planet.

Work to Live = Work pays your cost of living.
Live to Work = Work defines your way of life.

Also, its rather amusing that people who quote that expression are usually trying to convince themselves of it.

I find its more accurate and thought provoking to discuss work in terms of "cost of living" and "way of life". Much more revealing........

You'd also lose your house.

That's what I mean -- as you say your income doesn't depend on it, so it is a whole different ballgame when music is something you love to do, and not your living.

Bastard

Right. I'd be worried that I'd not love music anymore if it became 'work' as opposed to that thing I do to help me forget how mind-numbingly depressing it is that I have to work in the first place ...

Interesting question. I think I work to live. I love my job, but I wouldn't do it for free. If I won the lottery, I'd still work, but less (I'd get bored doing nothing at all). I do have a clear business/pleasure divide. My daily grind work (which I happen to enjoy - at least I don't hate it) pays my bills and gives me the spending money to do what I enjoy outside of work. I have a part-time job that I also love, and would do for free (but I happen to get paid for it).

I was sort of forced into a full time desk job due to the circumstances of my life at the time I took this job. I ended up like it and loving the company, and have stuck with it 22 years now, and will most likely retire from this company, if they keep me around that long! I chose to study/learn something else entirely, back in college, but in the real world that didn't earn enough stable income to support myself, thus the regular desk job. I still do the work that I studied for and love, but I do it part time, so it's more like a hobby that I also get some side money for.

Also, my personality is such that if I start thinking of the hobbies I enjoy as "work", I suddenly don't like them as well. "Work" should be one thing, "pleasure" should be my hobbies that I enjoy outside of work. As soon as a hobby becomes something I MUST do in order to survive (i.e. regular hours, paycheck, demands made on my time), I don't enjoy it anymore...

I definitely need to be doing *something*, I can't just sit around. I hope I'm healthy enough in my retirement years to do lots of traveling, as that is what I miss most about having a "work to live" life.

Oops, I just read the beginning of this thread....for the record, I'm a USC (not a Brit ExPat).

Rene

Interesting, so theoretically speaking, if your employer were to pay you for what you consider "pleasure", you would become more productive at what you consider work, and be willing to do it for free? So you would be doing more work but loving it, getting paid the same amount, but in a different way. Nothing beats a bit of reverse psychology


From the looks of your signature, it looks like you immigrated to the US not too long ago

From the looks of your signature, it looks like you immigrated to the US not too long ago[/QUOTE]

I'm the USC spouse. My husband immigrated to the USA in 2004. Unlike me, he lives to work...definitely loves what he does, and is a workaholic! He repairs antique oriental rugs.

Rene

It worked for Susan Boyle.

She's arguably a better singer than I am, plus I write my own material and I'm less likely to 'toe the line' than the x-factor crowd are ...

I saw her recently in this documentary. I don't care for her singing at all, but it was nice to learn something of her life.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2094947/

She's not my cup of tea musically but she can hold a tune. I do alright, though. Well enough to make a few extra bob spending money every month anyway

^What kind of music do you make?