I couldn't think of anything more destructive to creativity than the starving artist concept, hence the title of this article "go and get a day job".

You might have noticed that I have been quiet on the posting front for almost a couple of months. The reason for this is that a couple of months ago I started a day job and I made the decision of not posting so I could come to terms with the changes happening in my life. Now with things all settled in I am now ready to chat with you all again.

In the past I looked at getting a day job as something that gets in the way of my songwriting (and my musical endeavours in general) however when I had the opportunity to spend all my time on music I found that I wasn't getting more done than if I was working. I was wasting a lot of time.

It was then that I realised that it's not the day job that gets in the way of songwriting, it's the lack of time management of the individual that is the problem.

For me, having a day gig has so many benefits:

1. I have a more regular income coming in.

2. With this regular income comes less stress caused by financial worry.

3. New job = new environment, new people, new skills to be learnt, new experiences and new opportunities to harvest song ideas. Remember songwriting is life.

4. A new appreciation for the time that I do devote to my songwriting process.

Don't become a 'job snob' (like I have had been in the past) and spend precious songwriting time chasing the dollar and putting yourself under financial pressure.

Being a full time muso is a wonderful thing but if you are going backwards financially because of it then it's really not worth it. Taking a day job does not mean that you believe in your abilities any less.

If you can manage doing your music full-time then go for it and go for it good however, if you are not at that stage yet you have some serious things to think about.

Letting your creativity flourish in a financially stress free environment should be a high priority

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting help, songwriting, song writing, songwriter, songwriting contest, songwriting tip, songwriting technique, songwriting idea, songwriting resource, songwriting blog, free songwriting tip, corey stewart