About two weeks ago now I sent out a letter to my mailing list to tell everyone the good news that I’m making totally public here:

I quit my day job.

My entire life now revolves around making music, teaching music, and writing about music.

Just in case you’re picturing me stretched out on a beach or relaxing in a palatial penthouse, let me clarify that I still live in a tiny city in Maine. I haven’t exactly made my first million yet—I’m getting by on my wits, my expertise, and the “luck” that comes from staying connected to fellow arts professionals and reaching out to be as useful as possible to as many people as possible.

I sat down recently to figure out how I’ve pulled this lifestyle together. I’m now spoiled rotten and would rather pull out my own toenails than give up this newfound freedom…so what have I done well, and how can I keep doing it?

Here’s what I came up with.

How I Quit my Day Job

1. Desire. I wasn’t living up to my highest earthly purpose by working as a cafe manager. While my hands were busy during the day, I planned and schemed and went home every night with a burning desire: to write songs, play my instrument, connect with fellow artists, and teach.

2. Clarity of Purpose. I want to compose, improvise, record, and teach music—and devote more time to writing. Everything I do now revolves around these central goals. Any obligations that steal focus get the ax.

I love seeing a student learn all her assigned guitar chords and ask for more. I love sitting up late and painstakingly writing a lyric, one word at a time. Or writing an article to share my research and knowledge with fellow songwriters whose work I admire.

3. Frugality. My power bill is tiny, and each of my meals costs me $2 or less on average. Lucky me: I like eggs, vegetables, salmon, black beans, and cold cereal. And thanks to digital recording technology, I’ve been able to record my first album with minimal overhead cost. I’ve invested time instead of money. If this album sells just 100 copies, I’ll easily be able to record another.

4. Persistence. After spending up to fourteen hours on my feet at my day job, it was tempting to just go home at night and slack off. Instead, I’d sit up late working on this blog or on my own songs. I’d go to bed exhausted, but without regret.

If you really want an arts career, you can begin today. Right after work. Right after the kids go to sleep. Don’t wait until tomorrow.

5. Networking. Last Winter I reached out to a local choreographer I admire, offering to compose and record some intermezzos for her dance company’s show. For free. Guess who she called when she decided to expand her dance school’s offerings into music and other performing arts?

I go out of my way to be of use. It’s rewarding in its own right, and once in a while it pays off with a juicy opportunity.

6. Versatility. My living comes from about five different directions at any given time. If one resource dries up, the remaining four will carry me through. This month several income streams have appeared spontaneously, then dried up just as suddenly as they came.

7. Reading. I read constantly: entrepreneurial blogs, interviews with artists, songwriting books, business books, marketing books, fiction, poetry, public speaking texts… you name it. If I had to name any one habit that keeps me feeling knowledgeable and empowered and on top of the game, this is it.

8. Delivering more than expected. I urge students to call or write me anytime they’ve got a question, or if they finish all their homework and end up hungry for more. I’m not paid anything extra for this. I do it anyway.

Likewise with gigs: I’ll play at least a few more songs after the allotted time is up, sometimes up to a half hour or longer if everyone’s having a good time and the owners of the place aren’t in a hurry to escape.

9. Courage. Almost every day at some point I feel overwhelmed and doubtful and fretful and negative. Despite that, I write articles. I record songs. I hang posters. I call venues. And my own negative assumptions continue to be wrong, wrong, wrong—almost every day I find a new opportunity. If I allowed my own doubts to have any effect on my behavior, I really would fail.

Another serious leap was actually resigning from my day job. Already I feel nostalgic for having a clear schedule and knowing how much money to expect every month.

But even with all the uncertainty and all the drawbacks, I’m better off than ever before—and it’s an amazing feeling to wake up in the morning and set my own priorities.

And I’ve finally got time to learn all those scales, chord forms, and arpeggios I’ve been curious about. I have time to read about anything that’s interesting me. I have time to write a book..!

I’m in geek heaven.

—

Nicholas Tozier is an independent singer, songwriter, private music instructor, blogger, and instructor at Ampersand Academy of Dance & the Performing arts centered in Gardiner, Maine. His first album, A Game with Shifting Mirrors, is slated for self-release in Fall 2010.