Dan Garner

I left Tipitina's Foundation back in March to become a full-time musician. What was I thinking?
This:
If I could manage to increase my monthly gigs I could theoretically make more money performing music than working at my previous day job. This month I hit the sweet spot, i.e. I have officially surpassed what I would be making if I had stayed on with the foundation...and looking at my calendar I will hit the sweet spot again next month.
This is all possible because:
A) I have a very understanding wife.
B) Now I am able to take on gigs at unorthodox times during the day or night and sometimes both.

It is not the easiest work.
Each job is a compilation of finding the gig, getting the gig, setting up for the gig, playing the gig, tearing down after the gig and if everything goes right, being able to get the gig again. And this process is ongoing. No, it isn't easy, but if it were, everybody would be doing it.

At the moment I am doing most of my own booking and juggling solo performances with two different duos and at least three different bands. There are also the "out of the blue" gigs that are always satisfying. 'Frinstance, I just went in and cut a commercial, doing all the music (guitar, harmonica, vocals AND my 1929 National Triolian) as well as the voiceover. I haven't done this kind of work in several years but I guess, like riding a bicycle, you never forget how once you've done it for a while.

Mind you, so far all of the work I've been doing has been local. I've taken a couple of jobs in East Texas and there are a couple that have been a few miles outside of the city limits. I haven't really gone on the road yet, which is sorta on my to do list.

I was just reading a short blog by Seth Godin, "Priming The Pump of Efficiency" and it talks about the lag time of becoming efficient once you've changed the way you do things. That got me thinking about my lag time in getting to this place, the sweet spot, but here I am.

So this is a follow-up report to my last installment for those of you that may be interested. From time to time I'll try to write an account of my trials, tribulations and preferably successes as I continue to pursue "The Sweet Spot".