ON THE ROAD TO SELF-EMPLOYMENT

Thank you to everyone who emailed and called...your thoughts and well-wishes are very greatly appreciated. Y'all are just good people.

At the risk of sounding too new age-y and goofy, I really do believe everything happens for a reason. One of the great things about getting older is being able to truly recognize that when one door closes, another opens and it's just a matter of choosing the right door. Yeah, that sounded really retarded, but I think you get what I mean. I'm talking about actually recognizing it.

Last week blew like a Category 5 hurricane. I said goodbye to the BSO, said goodbye to someone I love very much, my car broke down, and found out I don't have any money coming in until October (after shelling out $600 for new glasses and contacts). I think at that point, I had two choices: I could choose to stay in my bed and cry and feel sorry for myself, or I could get my shit together and start creating my new life. It would have been very easy to stay in bed and cry (and believe me, I did a lot of crying), but I chose to create and plan for my new life - and to do that as immediately as possible.

I went for my meeting at Limelight Studios in Boston. What was great about this was that they approached me about coming in, so I didn't feel tremendous pressure to "sell" myself. I was also really excited about what they were doing, and really interested in hearing more about it. Because I was less pressured, I felt like I could totally be myself and I think that was what they liked about me. I was fun/funny and outgoing and that was exactly what they were looking for.

I met with the two gals running the show, and they were incredibly nice and personable and we got along really well. We were all very clearly on the same page and in sitting there, I knew that this was meant to be. I just feel very strongly that the business they've created here will do well, and I just feel incredibly excited about being a part of it.

I got my offer-letter via email and they offered me a salary that was less than what I make privately as a voice teacher, but was sweet enough to keep me interested and bring me on as a part of the team. They're really excited about having me, and I'm excited about being there. I have to commit to teaching a 12 week program that will work around my own schedule, and then it's open as to what else I can do and be part of. I just feel like there's a lot of opportunity for me there and it's going to feel more like a community than a job. I definitely need more interaction with people since I'm working from home, so all-around it has a lot to offer me. What's even cooler is that I have to go in for a photo session...fun!

I was pretty busy last week, in addition to the meeting above, I also posted my advertisement for voice lessons anywhere I could online. I wrote to the local paper and asked them if I could possible have an article written about me as a resident with local students, using the local Arts Center, etc. They agreed and we'll hopefully get to work on that soon. I met with several potential students, and ended up almost completely booking up my Tuesdays. I now have a full Tuesday and Thursday schedule, and will start booking into Mondays and Wednesdays once I have my Limelight schedule set.

All told, I'm still going to be struggling financially for a bit, but hopefully in a few months, I'll be doing just fine. I'm a little nervous about some things still: health insurance, taxes, having enough interaction with people outside of my home, but I feel like this is a really exciting point in my life and things have just come together as they should.

There's such a beautiful feeling about being self-employed and knowing that from this point on, everything I do is a choice that *I* will make. I'll be helping people foster their love of music, I'll be performing more jazz, and I'll in general be a much happier person. The only boss I'll need to answer to is my own conscience and heart. That's a beautiful freedom, my friends.






- posted by Taunia @ 4:47 PM