Art vs. Career

[onmywayParticipant 502]

After going MGTOW I’ve been searching. Searching for a direction to go from here on..
I’m a 26 year old guy from Norway. I’ve been a musician for as long as I remember. I played the drums, and played professionally for about a year after high school, but quickly found out that the freelance / musician lifestyle wasn’t my thing. I’m now doing a masters degree in digital libraries and information sciences, and even though I’m doing good and have had job opportunities coming in after just doing one semester, I’m struggling.
I’ve wanted to do art, to become a master of music, to produce great music for such a long time, that a career in IT seems gray and lifeless. I’ve spent thousands of hours practicing my music, so I’m very proficient at it. However, I’m just not sure if I’m romanticizing music and art in general. I have always thought that creating music and art makes me feel alive, that it gives my life meaning. But was that just a cover up story I told myself to keep myself practicing in order to become better, in order to attract ladies? I don’t know…
I know I could become a great programmer if I dedicated time and effort to it. However, as soon as I sit down and dedicate some time to programming, I think to myself: “Even if you become good at this, and become a great developer with lots of cash. What then? What will you spend it on? What are you working so hard for?”.
Good music touches my soul and can have me tearing up, smiling ear-to-ear or have me relaxing in the best way possible. A well created program just doesn’t do any of this to me. However, I know I don’t want to do music full time as a career. I hate the industry and the people in it – I just want to compose my own art and share it. That’s it.

So I guess my choice comes down to:
1. Go for a “secure” non-stressful 9-5 job to earn money, and work my ass off to create music in my spare time. Will satisfy my artistic side, but will limit my choices career-wise, as well as my location / financial independence.
2. Go all out on my career, and become the best I can become in my field. More stress, but more pay. Will probably not satisfy my artistic side and my desire to produce great art, but will most probably earn me good money and give me the possibility to work from anywhere in the world.

How would you guys go about making such a choice?
I’m having a really hard time deciding. And right now, as I haven’t made a choice, I feel like I’m just doing nothing, worrying and thinking too much.. I guess some people would say “just do both?”, but that way of thinking is not working out for me at the moment. It just makes me do an average job in both areas…
I would really appreciate some advice from elder, experienced MGTOWs on this.

Thank you guys so much for this place!
All the best,
littmindre

[Anonymous 29]

From personal experience, art and music is where you go all in if you are good enough to make money or leave it until you are financialy stable or strong. Then go back to it as a hobby which can be satisfying and even earning you good money.

For me it is painting and doing murals on bike’s and hot rod’s.
Only about 0.1% of artists in all fields make money or are maketable.

[Anonymous 3]

Nothing is guaranteed. There is no guarantee you’d get the stable 9-5 secure job either. Unless you’re connected.

Otherwise everything is kind of luck. So really you do whatever presents itself and seems good.

Music is extremely unlikely too. But there are plenty of musicians too. Somebody has to succeed at it, could be you.

Really, do what you want to do and take care of yourself. A minimalist lifestyle works great at pursuing your own hobbies and choices. If not for property tax and inflation a lot less people would be forced into the game either.

[tripvanParticipant 193]

onmyway wrote:

I’ve wanted to do art, to become a master of music, to produce great music for such a long time, that a career in IT seems gray and lifeless. I’ve spent thousands of hours practicing my music, so I’m very proficient at it. However, I’m just not sure if I’m romanticizing music and art in general. I have always thought that creating music and art makes me feel alive, that it gives my life meaning. But was that just a cover up story I told myself to keep myself practicing in order to become better, in order to attract ladies? I don’t know…

Go for music – if you can do it for yourself first and foremost, your happiness and sanity will pay dividends

BUT Don´t bother with a music masters unless you:

a) want to work in an orchestra, and
b) have already made connection to a male teacher who is going to get you there and keep you on track while you are forced to do the other university crap.

Freelance is tough, but if you choose the 9-5 route you can always do your musical passion on the side, but you are still going to have to make sure you´re doing it for yourself and not for an idealization of attracting women. But if you´re denying yourself this pleasure/career option because you are afraid that you might have been deluded in the past towards practising for a certain reason like female attraction, that would be a real shame. It´s just a mindset for motivation you can either grow out of or not.

[onmywayParticipant 502]

Thank you guys! Really appreciate you guys taking the time to read this thread and comment!
@tripvan – My wording was bad. With “master of music” I just meant someone who is able to play / compose music masterfully. I don’t intend nor desire to take a degree in music. I’m finishing my IT masters, and will probably go the 9-5 route for a while no matter what direction I go, in order to save up and invest money.

[Puffin StuffParticipant 24979]

I’m retired and do music full time. That means less than 20 hours a week because there just isn’t that much work out there. I started a band and I have some musical experience so hired professionals. So I auditioned a lot of professionals.

They don’t seem to like their lives very much . They are always hustling for gig’s, have students they don’t like and, if their lucky, get in a wedding band that pays 300-400 a gig.

I started playing music because I enjoyed it. Then I found you could meet a lot of girls that way.

I was always in a band, all through college, professional school and after school was done. That gave me the musical outlet that I needed emotionally.

Now I’m 55, going my own way, I’m retired from a great paying job so I have the money to not only play music but start my own band so I can play the music I like with players I pick. Of course now I have to get gigs, something I’ve never done before but it seems like fun shopping around the demo’s and such.

That’s because I’m financially stable. Get the money, work hard to play music on the side then, when your set in your career spend more time on music.

That’s my two cents.

#icethemout; Remember Thomas Ball. He died for your children.

[RoyDalParticipant]

A friend of mine is looking for a drummer for his rock band, but he lives in Texas, USA. To me this means a good drummer with a strong work ethic will be able to find a gig anywhere. That is, unless Norway’s Muslim majority bans rock music — better keep your day job until your situation becomes more clear.

Just to inject a bit of humor … it appears there is a world-wide shortage of competent drummers!

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[Silverstone the SecondParticipant]

That’s been my story for a while, bro. I face the same dilemma. I say, go for the financial security and do music and creative stuff in your spare time. It’s what I do. Who knows, keep making the big bucks and then put a studio in your house, dude. The image of a starving artist comes to mind. Art doesn’t pay for s~~~, and only starts being appreciated once you die. The reason I create and make music and art is because I HAVE TO. I enjoy it, and something deep down compels me to do it. I’d do it whether or not I made any money at all, because I enjoy it. You also run the risk of making what you love turn into work, and when that happens, it’s not fun. Also, I get the musical equivalent to writers block, and I might sit at home for a week with every opportunity to create, and I can’t. I’ll try, but I can’t. And then one day after work I’ll get more done in an afternoon than I do in 3 months. So, I’d say focus on your career dude. There are very few people who will truly appreciate your creation, and be more critical of it for that matter, than you are. It sucks, but that’s life. No matter what, always make time to do the things you love 😀

Feminism is a movement where opinions are presented as facts and emotions are presented as evidence.

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