A Violinist Without a Stage
3 Questions to Help You Figure Out Your Next Move
Before COVID-19, I enjoyed an incredible day job as a performing violinist, playing over 2,000 shows around the globe throughout my 18-year career. I truly have the best job imaginable because I get to play my own original music for thousands of people and often-times change their perceptions of what is possible in the process. When the pandemic arrived, I was woefully under prepared for the financial hit to the entertainment industry. It halted my touring career and still threatened my livelihood with no clear end in sight. My band, Black Violin, cancelled or postponed over 100 shows in 2020 and 2021 is still filled with uncertainty. I became a violinist without a stage.
Although no one could have predicted a global pandemic, I blamed myself for not having a Plan B in place to secure my family’s future. For a decade, I was solely focused on growing my music business but lacked the foresight to plan for the unexpected. The entertainment industry torpedoed into a complete shutdown with no end in sight and it became clear that I needed to find a new source of income until the music business adapts to this “new normal.”
Concerned about our financial situation, I sat down with my wife during the early weeks of the nation-wide mandated quarantine to unearth a creative career pivot. Searching for another way to provide for our family, my wife gave me some amazing advice that illustrated my path forward.
She told me to write a list of these three things:
- What do you LOVE to do?
When a person does something they love, it resonates with their soul. Even if the task is difficult, it rarely feels like hard work. In this column, you should list everything you have ever loved doing. Do not limit yourself to things that can make you money. Your list should be as broad as possible because you never know how it may intersect with other interests. Even include guilty pleasures. For instance, my daughter loves social media… that is an acceptable answer.
My list: performing music, writing journals, business management, watching sports, negotiating deals, real estate investing, problem solving, hanging with my family and friends, chilling.
2. What are you GREAT at?
We all have things we do really well, but haven’t figured out how to create revenue doing it. Use this column to highlight your greatness, especially things that you have excelled at in the past. Also think about all of the subsections of what you already do well. For example, I run a music business so I am pretty good at performing and recording music, but quietly I have also gained expertise in artist management, bookkeeping, and public speaking. Include the sports and recreational activities you shined in as a kid too. So what if you were not all that great at it, above average counts too.
My list: performing, composing, public speaking, networking, writing, bookkeeping, business management, fostering relationships, communications
3. What can make you MONEY?
In the final list, write down every possible way you can make a buck. Even if you hate it and refuse to do it. If you own a newer car, you could in theory drive for Uber or Lyft; jot it down. Maybe you can go work for your in-laws, but your pride will not allow it; put it on the list anyway. Add every job title you have ever had and even include the old part-time gigs you held as a teenager or in college. Use your other two lists to draw new ideas. This list can be more theoretical, meaning you can add potential revenue streams that you do not currently employ to pay your bills, but you can see a pathway to generating income from it.
My list: performing & writing music, teacher, orchestrator, arranger, bookkeeper, investing in real estate, author, public speaker, music executive
After completing this exercise, I noticed the skills that I honed throughout my music career were prevalent in all three columns. Performing music, writing music, and several other facets of the music business flooded my chart, but there were a few surprise entries.
Real estate sales landed in all three categories in some way and many of my other attributes like networking, connecting people, and my communication skills could work in my favor in that industry. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a smart, enjoyable pivot that could potentially create revenue in pretty short order if I work hard enough. A month later I became a licensed real estate agent and began writing a new chapter.
Speaking of writing, this quality also appeared in all three categories in numerous ways. I started journaling a few years ago as a way to privately organize my thoughts, and I stumbled on a new creative outlet. Armed with nothing but time during 2020, I finally began writing with the intent to publish articles like this. It has been a new challenge for me, but I’m excited to share my vulnerability with whoever spends the time to read it.
