Growing Pains (And What I Plan To Do About It)

I'm not going to lie: I'm going through some growing pains - in regards to my music efforts - right now. What first started out as something that I wanted to dabble in, has now become something much bigger than I ever imagined.

When I first started producing music, my long-term and ultimate goal was to turn it into a sustainable career. My first task though, was to focus on learning and mastering the art of music, and generally fuck around with shit. Now, its become something much bigger than that. Over time, I've discovered that this is the thing I really want to focus on. I really love this shit and really want to become an influencer in this field. But in order for me to do that, I need to (at least in my case):

1. Make and put out more music
2. Invest more in educational resources
3. Upgrade my setup and invest more into the tools of my trade
4. Build relationships with others in the industry
5. Gain more name recognition

In order to achieve all of my goals, I will need to spend more money than I already am. I will need a space where I can focus on music exclusively without any outside distractions. I will need to get a more premium education in order to be ready to become a full-time pro. I will need to meet people in person in order to collaborate and get my name out there (and generally make more friends in the industry). I will need to upgrade my existing setup in order to streamline my workflow and make stuff I really want to make. Finally, I will need to setup a website, in order to look more professional.

After much consideration, I decided that the best way for me to gain these funds and meet these needs is to go to school and take up a trade. After talking an in-depth look into all my options, the decision to go into the trades was unanimous. The trades are a lot of fun and satisfying (at least for me), they pay decently, they're highly in-demand (there's actually a labor shortage right now), they're less competitive (which means they're easier to get into), and training is quick, easy, inexpensive, and hands-on. For me at least, they're more challenging than a white collar or minimum wage job and are in-line with my aptitudes, interests, and abilities. In addition, these are skills that I always wanted to learn how to do. (Plus, this will help me prepare for the upcoming economic downturn.)

Right now, I'm learning about automotive technology, so I can service cars and get into the automotive fabrication business. In addition, I'm watching welding (and metal fabrication videos, in general) in order to get a feel for what I'm going to expect. Later this year, I will be attending my local community college so I can learn welding, expand my knowledge on entrepreneurship (and make new connections/friends in the process), and take up painting. I plan on doing welding as a side-hustle and working primarily as an independent contractor, but I'll probably get a job at some shop first just to get started somewhere and save up money to buy my own tools. I'll talk about why I chose this path in further detail in a future post soon.

Another way I'm going to fund this dream of mine to do is to get into the cryptocurrency game (which, as you can probably tell, I'm already doing). I'm also planning on selling paintings on the side. Again, I'll have more details on this soon.

I'm going to be using the money that I make from all of this towards the purchase of a 2009-2014 Ford E-350 (or maybe perhaps an E-250) and to cover my tuition for Icon Collective Music Production School (I'll be attending the physical campus in Los Angeles). I want to use the E-350 in order to create a space where I can focus on creating music and cut-off distractions (and go to places where I can be distraction-free), as well as to travel to LA for more opportunities to advance my career (I'll also be using it for recreation), and generally work on-site and on-the-go. I want to go to Icon so I further polish my musical craft, get mentorship and guidance from industry professionals, focus on music more exclusively, meet new people, make new friends, and make new connections. This is my opportunity to be around like-minded people, experience what I've been craving for this whole time, and advance my career via those experiences.

I plan on documenting my journey here on Steemit, along with Twitter and Instagram. I'm planning on primarily showing my work process and showcasing my projects. I'll also be sharing my thoughts on stuff (its really no different from what I'm doing right now - or at least what I'm about to do).

As you can probably tell by now, these are some exciting time are up ahead and I couldn't be more excited! This is going to be the biggest investment I've ever made in my music dream (so far). I'm very confident that I'll pay-off in the end. I really can't wait to get started on all of this and share the journey with everyone!