Ableton Forum

Yeah that is definitely one option. But ten more years of working 60 hour weeks with no time for music seems like a long time at the moment!

You could stick it as long as you can, save money, get the family secure, then when it all gets too much go AWOL.

Or you could try negotiating a reducion in hours so you get more time for music...

Or your employer might get rid of you... for various reasons totally outside your control

There seem to be many possibilities apart from your inital one of giving it all up to do 100% music

^^^Yeah I appreciate that Guillermo and I do count my blessings. But if someone asked you to work away from your friends and family for 10 years on an oil rig, in return for lots of cash (and enough to retire early) it would be good for some people and not for others. Not that I work on an oil rig, but it's pretty similar. So it's kind of suffer now in order to enjoy later. Too many people I know have died young recently, so this is probably not helping the 'what the hell am I doing with my time' crisis I am going through
Little pig, yeah, that's what I've been doing, I think I'm at the 'all gets too much' bit right now!

I could have written the opening post almost to the letter. I DJ'd for years home and abroad then decided to get a "proper" job about 15 years ago. I've had to curtail most of the time I wanted to spend learning to produce in order to learn how to do the proper job inside out and I'm at a position now where that's been going really well for the last few years. The nagging voice to take time off and concentrate on just production has become more of a shout in the last couple of years (I'm 41 next month) to the point where, as soon as my current contract finishes, I'm taking 6 months off and going at it. In my case, I don't expect to make a living from music so I think 6 months of solid effort will give me the time to pick up the things I want to, and then see what happens. I haven't been able to concentrate on just music since DJ'ing, and I did alright at that, so I'm hoping I can get the chance again. I like my proper job, most of the time, but it does involve far too much bullshit and I believe I owe it to myself to have this time, and my wife is happy with this, but I intend to go back to work when I'm ready as I need to earn (have a 3-year-old) and I'm realistic enough to know that, for me personally, I'll probably make f.a. out of music. Is your line of work easy to return to if things don't work out after 12 months, for example?

TL;DR Consider a sabbatical, happy Daddy, happy family, earn!

OOMS

So what is your employer like? Are they open to negotiating? or do you already know they won't entertain it?

Edited to add this:

But if someone asked you to work away from your friends and family for 10 years on an oil rig, in return for lots of cash

Is your current work location that bad?

Im 40 and Im a master at ableton(enough to write techno) and I have three kids and a wife and a 9 to 5 full time job. I own a digital label with my brother that releases to beatport, itunes, juno, traxsource, trackitdown, amazon, etc. The label is picking up over the last year or two but it will never be anough to quit my day job. Nor should you. You dont need more time. You should have plenty even with a full time job.

our label

http://www.illbomb.com

Outofmysystem, wow, parallel lives man! Good luck with it! If i leave it'll be hard to get back to this, and no sabbaticals possible. But I reckon I could get back to something reasonably paid if I only stepped out for a year or two...

Little pig, it's not 'bad' exactly but it is high profile and involves acting a role all the time, day and night!

owensands, great post, thanks for that. Yes I think you're right. As I said in an earlier post it's probably a different question I'm really asking myself (as I've have realised through this thread) and that is - do I want to work for myself. Answer is probably yes. So I'll end up running a business of some kind, hopefully with some kind of creative link. I salute your success - well done. The only difference for me is that at present it's more like a 9 to 9 job which really doesn't leave much time, but I get your point completely.

I've always tried to avoid high profile jobs

Some people tried to convince me I was wasting my talent but I always though they had ulterior motives

don't blame you - means to an end for me...end hopefully in sight

Shameless bump. I want to hear from even more people making some kind of living from their music. Angstrom, you do cool stuff...got any insights? Funken, same goes for you?

thegoodsirjames wrote:Outofmysystem, wow, parallel lives man! Good luck with it! If i leave it'll be hard to get back to this, and no sabbaticals possible. But I reckon I could get back to something reasonably paid if I only stepped out for a year or two...

Little pig, it's not 'bad' exactly but it is high profile and involves acting a role all the time, day and night!

owensands, great post, thanks for that. Yes I think you're right. As I said in an earlier post it's probably a different question I'm really asking myself (as I've have realised through this thread) and that is - do I want to work for myself. Answer is probably yes. So I'll end up running a business of some kind, hopefully with some kind of creative link. I salute your success - well done. The only difference for me is that at present it's more like a 9 to 9 job which really doesn't leave much time, but I get your point completely.

Still I think you should first try to negiotiate a reduction in Your hours. try get it Down to a more reasonable 40 hour work week.
Then you will have time to both keep a steady job to support Your Family and spend time in Ableton Live.

Just my 2 cents.

Also, install ableton on your work laptop so you can use it given the slightest oppertunity. If any body asks tell them it is a new sort of spreadsheet

^^^

1. Buy a dictophone and hum your drum and melody ideas into it at work when you are struck by inspiration
2. At the end of each day import these recordings into ableton 9 and hit 'audio to melody' or 'audio to drums' and save to a stockpile of clips
3...
4. Profit

3dot... wrote:[disclaimer - didn't read through the whole post]



if art is your "calling"..
you will be given feedback from the outside world telling you so

I wouldn't agree that one should wait or count on feedback from external sources to justify ones life path.

irrelevance wrote:I wouldn't agree that one should wait or count on feedback from external sources to justify ones life path.

I agree others should not dictate your passion and art in the broad sense. But there's a massive economic angle to this discussion and money is an exchange mechanism involving external sources. In that respect, 3dot is spot on.