“Hollywood or bust”
Apparently I am going to start naming my journal posts.
For those who don’t know, I am again gearing up for a fairly big move. I know those of you who have tried to follow me over the last few years have gone through this before when I packed up and shipped off to Nashville back in ’07. I can admit now that that was probably a touch premature. Back then I still had the mindset of “The only thing I want to do is sing/write/play … and nothing else is an option”. While that still is the current goal and still what I truly want… I have had some nice talks with myself and I know that music might end up only being a side job or a hobby the rest of the way. I still am approaching my day to day music life with the intensity of that prior approach … but I’ve calmed down mentally, “stepped back from the ledge” if you will. I think it is a healthier approach.
But I have to give it one last try.
Being honest with myself, I still would like nothing more than to have music pay my bills. Staying up until 3 AM trying to write songs and then getting up at 7 to be somewhere to play them for people is fun for me. It isn’t work. Ultimately, that is how a career should be chosen right? Do what makes you happy?
So, in order to maximize my chances of making that a reality… I think I need to be where opportunity is. For a kid like myself, I would benefit most from being in a place where I can network with other people like me. Singer/Songwriters who scrap day to day for gigs, industry minds who can point you in beneficial directions and steer you from bad ones, and somewhere where the weather allows you to panhandle the streets for grocery money 52 weeks a year 
.
I’m moving to LA.
The exact day hasn’t really been decided yet. That will have a lot to do with my car situation and when I decide I have enough money saved up to be able to survive for a few months without income if need be. But right now I have written the end of September on a bunch of pieces of paper and I’m starting to tell people the same to make myself start believing it.
It is going to get to the point in September or October where I am just standing on the bridge with the cords tied around my ankles, all set to jump and I’m telling myself, “I’ll jump in 2 minutes” .. and then 2 minutes later “Just give me one more minute” (FYI I would never bungee jump, I would have a heart attack mid-fall, but it’s a good analogy nonetheless) … at some point I’m just going to have close my eyes and tumble off of the ledge. I think the sooner the better in this instance.
To be honest, I have no idea what will happen once I get out there. Maybe I get cold feet and scamper back home? Maybe I really catch California fever and start wearing sun visors and learn how to surf? (This won’t happen. I will stay true to my Wisconsin ways and wear hooded sweatshirts and jeans to every gig I play) I don’t know. But I want to be able to say that I got an at bat in the big leagues.
And I swear, if that pitcher’s first pitch is anywhere inside… I’m charging.
Not surprisingly, the baseball metaphor works much better than the bungee jumping. It’s amazing to think what can become possible when you take a step like this out of sheer courage, faith and stubborn determination. I hope it brings you to every door God’s been waiting to open for you, Jake.
Jake,
I know that you have a passion for music, and I agree that you should pursue your dream. Too many of us make the safe career choices early on because of convention or because of our parents, instead of taking a chance on a dream, and then in mid-life find ourselves in jobs that make us miserable. (And often one is trapped there out of a need for the medical insurance.)
As you found with the Nashville experience, there is also a right time for such a change, and I hope this is the right time for you. What I know for sure is that the day will come when it will be to late for a new career path, and then you will be haunted by thoughts of what might have been. When you are in the cool of the evening of your life, looking back, you will regret the things you did not try much more than any attempts that failed.
I wish you all the best of success and luck, my young friend, and look forward to seeing your name up in lights…. or at least in the credits!