Throwing in the towel?

[operator_tape]

I have just graduated from School in Engineering and I am 21 and I feel exactly like you do, some of my teachers at this school almost lost there houses because of lack of clients, but the devotion to there art continues to give them the motivation to carry on. I know I won't get work anywhere in Montreal, Canada in a studio but I will continue to work with certain artists and help them get the best recording possible from there music. I can't give up this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and neither should you. Us Music Lovers, Engineers, Musicians have to stick together, we are all in it for the same thing, lets not give up on what we love and do as a living!!!!!

[Family Hoof]

Contrary to what it seems that some believe, you would not have to be anything close to an electrician, seeing as you would have knowledge to design electrical systems, not just repair them.

In case you're talking about my response, I must defend. This is not at all what I was implying. I have friends who make good money as electricians and it simply occured to me to add it as another suggestion. Unions usually will guarantee high pay and job security in most any field granted you are qualified enough to be in one and aware of the commitments.
EE is a wonderful degree/skill to have and I would not discourage anyone from pursuing it. I was simply trying to make the points that it is not easy and not everyone can do it.

[EarlSlick]

(T Family Hoof): I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, If you felt i was attacking what you said. I wasn't referring to you specifically, although your comment caused me to mention it. Some people, however do have that misconception.

I really believe that EE or any other discipline i beyond anyone. Any major if taken seriously should be very challenging, if it isn't, there is something very wrong. I am currently majoring in Physics, but i was terrible at it in high school, so you never know what you are capable of until you force yourself to really work at something. If Twitch monitor is commited to doing the EE thing, as he was in Philosophy, which it seems he very much was, he should not think twice about going for a degree in EE. Sure it will be difficult, but nothing easy turns out to be very beneficial.

Bart

[bobbydj]

Currently I take these Sociology classes with a bunch of people who think Marx, Durkheim, and Weber are bunch of old dead guys who aren't relevant to their existance, even though what these guys wrote about is staring them in the face every day. I don't get it.

Welcome to my so-called life.

[Corin]

The other thing is, I'm sure we've all seen those guys who let music ruin their lives becaus eit's all they know. I've run across tons of burnt old rockers who never had a stable relationship, never had any money, had substance issues and consider it a noble sacrifice to the music. You have to find the right balance for your life. You don't want to end up 45 or 50 and realizing that you blew it.

[bannerj]

Sorry to post so late. Since you were philosophy, you might appreciate Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet? I return to it when I get discouraged.

Think about this: statistically the only 10 percent of the people who are making art today will still be making art in 10 years.

Making art historically and presently has never been lucrative. It is just a human response--an itch that you can't stop scratching. You don't need full time employment to validate your gift. What you are struggling with is the courage to continue to adapt your lifestyle to allow you to practially make ends meet. It is counter-cultural and hard...but in 30 years you will look back and be deeply satisfied that you did life your way.

[twitchmonitor]

Sorry to post so late. Since you were philosophy, you might appreciate Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet? I return to it when I get discouraged.

Think about this: statistically the only 10 percent of the people who are making art today will still be making art in 10 years.

Making art historically and presently has never been lucrative. It is just a human response--an itch that you can't stop scratching. You don't need full time employment to validate your gift. What you are struggling with is the courage to continue to adapt your lifestyle to allow you to practially make ends meet. It is counter-cultural and hard...but in 30 years you will look back and be deeply satisfied that you did life your way.

Yeah...I've got that book....maybe I should read it again.

[yardleyone]

great quote. perfect timing as well. came on a day when i feel like doing a little towel throwing myself.

[Snarky]

Hey twitch,
I've felt like that before, but after tuesday's results, that even gives me more of a reason to do what I want, not do what is "safe" or "easy". Since we're all gonna die in WW III, what better time to do the thing your heart tells you. Time is running out, I'm taking the plunge. Maybe your just a little burnt. Vacation? You're kinda near the desert. Nothing like the desert. Helps you see how insignificant your life really is, or isn't. Maybe go part time? Move to a cheaper part of the bay? Meet new friends?
I'm about to do the opposite, I wanna go part time at my day job, my friends and I are going to start a co-op practice space/studio, I'm going to freelance night gigs, and I'm going to make less money, but I'll be at least starting something that if I don't do now, I will regret it the rest of my life. If it fails, who cares? I can always find another job! If it succseeds, sweet! Maybe another loan or record label or new space! Anyhow, you gotta belive and suffer. Life is too short for laziness and pity parties and feeling sorry for yourself. Especially when things around you are going the way they are. Bla Bla Bla sorry to ramble, but i myself left SF once so I feel ya.
Later

[twitchmonitor]

Hey twitch,
I've felt like that before, but after tuesday's results, that even gives me more of a reason to do what I want, not do what is "safe" or "easy". Since we're all gonna die in WW III, what better time to do the thing your heart tells you. Time is running out, I'm taking the plunge. Maybe your just a little burnt. Vacation? You're kinda near the desert. Nothing like the desert. Helps you see how insignificant your life really is, or isn't. Maybe go part time? Move to a cheaper part of the bay? Meet new friends?
I'm about to do the opposite, I wanna go part time at my day job, my friends and I are going to start a co-op practice space/studio, I'm going to freelance night gigs, and I'm going to make less money, but I'll be at least starting something that if I don't do now, I will regret it the rest of my life. If it fails, who cares? I can always find another job! If it succseeds, sweet! Maybe another loan or record label or new space! Anyhow, you gotta belive and suffer. Life is too short for laziness and pity parties and feeling sorry for yourself. Especially when things around you are going the way they are. Bla Bla Bla sorry to ramble, but i myself left SF once so I feel ya.
Later

I know that you?re enthusiastic, but honestly, man, you?re way off base. First of all I?m not talking about doing something ?safe,? or ?easy.? I just worked out my course schedule and it looks like I?ll be a full time student, studying high level math, science, computer science, electronics and engineering, while working a full time job for the next 5 or 6 years. I may not graduate until 2010 or 2011. I don?t see how that?s either safe OR easy. Leave your black and white ?safe and easy vs. artistic integrity and following your heart? crap at the door. It ain?t the simple.

So you?re ?taking the plunge,? are you? Good luck. I started working part time at my day job to spend more time at the Coast Recorders, the badass, longstanding, historic, Bill Putnam designed ?world class? studio I was second engineering at (for no pay, I should add) last year. What happened? I suffered through minimal cash flow and put in a huge amount of hours at the studio. Until it went under. So I went back to full time at my day job. Then I quit the day job and scraped together some live sound gigs, some recording gigs, some mixing gigs, etc. What happened? I stopped being able to eat. Literally. So back to the day job I went (after borrowing money from friends for groceries?I shit you not). If you don?t care if you?re venture fails, good for you. Me, I care. If my venture fails, I stop being able to provide myself with the necessities of life.

But hey, I guess you?re right?you can always get another throwaway job. But that?s just not cool with me. As it is, I?m overeducated and underemployed. I work for a team of idiot hospital administrators. My job could be a tragicomic TV show. It makes me feel like shit. Every minute I spend filing paper, photocopying or cross referencing spreadsheets while some calculator wielding jerkwad breathes down my neck is one more minute of life, and of potential, that I?ve wasted. I can barely take another hour in this office, let alone another decade. I want to have a family. Buy a house. Pay off my debt. Maybe even trade in my mass transit pass for an actual vehicle eventually. There is a glut of ?engineers,? and less and less money being spent on making albums, both on a major label and indie level.

Obviously some people are surviving in this climate. I?m jealous and I wish I were so lucky. My hat is off to those people. But there comes a time for facing facts. And the facts are that as I get older the things I want change. Being a starving artist isn?t cute or romantic anymore. No fast talking A&R guy is going to offer me a contract. Skywalker Ranch isn?t hiring me. So let?s talk about reality, bud, ?cause this is it. Personally, I don?t give a good goddamn what you do.

Follow your heart.

I?m following mine.

[operator_tape]

Mr. Twitch monitor, I think that you are right doing what you want to do, and it takes alot of courage to do what you claim you will be doing. I did that for the last year. Working full time and going to school full-time is the biggest bitch in the world, don't give up on what you want to do.