Doing the Beauty We Love

I’m at an interesting juncture in my life. While many of my friends are winding down their chosen careers, I’m finally trying in earnest to get mine started.
When I was younger I made my living as a musician. I had passion and talent for this calling but apparently not enough to overcome its inherent challenges. My dream of playing meaningful original music to thoughtful, appreciative crowds never progressed much beyond a steady series of lounge gigs playing to rude regulars at gin-soaked watering holes. Night after night I found myself “Stuck in Lodi Again,” trying to please people whose idea of a fun night out was to perch on vinyl stools talking fantasy football while occasionally acknowledging the existence of the performer in the corner— but only on the condition that he focus his gifts on tunes already run into the ground by a thousand radio stations. When catering to the culture of “gimme the usual,” one’s labor-of-love original work remains a wad of folded paper lodged deep in the bottom of one’s back pocket.
The lounge scene can be rough. I know of major label performers who’ve been forced to stop in the middle of a song to ask the throngs to quiet down so the few people who wanted to listen actually could. This is why The Beatles stopped touring – and they weren’t even playing honky-tonks. Willy Nelson tells stories of playing on stages surrounded by chain link to avoid being cold-cocked by flying Coors bottles.
When playing at bars feels like playing behind bars, you know it’s time to make a change.
So suffering the neglect felt by many a worthy minstrel, I pared back my gigs, moved to an obscure little town on the coast of California, and began to pursue my other passion – writing – with new determination. A couple of years later I had penned 300 pages of tightly crafted, fast-paced, vibrant and timely fiction. In other words, I was flat broke with no prospects and finally had to get a real job. So again I followed in the footsteps of many world-weary artists before me and became a full-time teacher.
Ever hopeful, I envisioned leading deep discussions about life-changing literature amongst inquisitive young scholars. But, sadly, being an educator today more likely involves doing five hours of en masse behavior mod with reluctant readers, followed by five-plus more hours of teacher meetings, committee meetings, parent meetings, lesson planning, test prep and grading. Something had to give, and it wasn’t going to be my sanity. So I moved on from my day job and, over the course of the past several years, fashioned a part-time career in education that I truly enjoy: teaching adults how to speak English. No behavior mod, no grading, no attitude. Instead, I earn an adequate hourly wage and have a student body that looks upon me as a liberator, not a jailer. Best of all, I have time again to tend to my creative life, long since gone to seed and weed.

(On Tuesday: Goethe wrote – “Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has beauty, power, and magic in it” In "Doing the Beauty We Love II" we discuss the beauty, power, and magic of boldness!