Freelancer's Corner: taking the plunge

From recording and part-time orchestra gigs to adjunct academic work, chamber and solo tours, and appearances as a sponsored artist, I have functioned as a freelancer my entire adult life. I absolutely LOVE the fact that we are now having a national discussion about how to do this, often falling under the broad categories of "music business" or "music entrepreneurship".  (Kudos to my alma mater, the once entirely stodgy Indiana University / Jacobs School of Music for getting so totally with the program!) As a freelancer of a certain (ahem) age, I find myself not only asking lots of questions and gobbling up fantastic advice from those around me, but doling out a fair amount of it, as well. It's true that, on a certain level, you have to find your way yourself; the point is to figure out who you are and what unique services/products/experiences you can create for people.  But there's also a lot that's the same for all of us, and I've been collecting some favorite links for a while now that I hope you'll find useful, too.  These authors (many of them not musicians) from all over the web are giving great advice in a truly open, generous spirit and deserve your attention. We have so much to learn from each other--here's to finally sharing!

These posts really deal with the first step--inspiration.

"If You're Experiencing Impostor Syndrome..." by freelance writer Kristin Wong

"...Developing a Successful, Dream-Chasing Mindset" by photographer and online business woman Allison Marshall (Wonderlass)

And here's a bevvy of articles handing out specific advice for musicians from Dave Ruch

I also love keeping up with inspiring podcasts on my many long drives to gigs:

• Crushing Classical
• iCadenza's Creative Careers
• The Entrepreneurial Musician

If you happen to subscribe to Coro by iCadenza, check out the new micro-course I developed for them about how to get started as a freelance studio teacher, "Developing a Thriving Music Studio".

And I suppose this is as good a time as any to announce that, after serving as an unofficial career coach to numerous students, colleagues, and friends of friends over the years, I've decided to take the business public! Check out the new coaching page on my website to see what services I offer, all at very affordable prices for working musicians at every stage of their careers. You can also subscribe to my free newsletter serving up monthly career advice there. I'm excited to start this new phase in my life and hope I can be of some help to you!