My hippie and my yuppie sides are at war. Its a gift to be able to see all possibilities and yet a struggle to decide which I most desire. I see for me two interesting alternate realities for my next year.
One, continue with contract work and find a place to live with friends to keep my monthly bills low. The advantage of this is that I get to be a yuppie for 1-3 months and work the full time lifestyle, with money and no time, then I get to be a hippie/artist for 1-3 months where I have time and no money. In that time, I can write, make music, travel, sit at coffee shops, sleep in. This is the pattern I've practiced for the last 3 years.
Two, take a full time job and live in a kick ass-pad at a higher cost per month. Buy what I want when I want and travel only in the designated time period. This option is really pulling me today. The problem is, once I start a full-time job, learning to produce music is nearly impossible. But what I've come to recently is that this fact may not be because I'm working a full time job. It may actually be due to my incredibly full social schedule, which I maintain because I most enjoy the company of others 1-on-1. So if I were to release that social schedule (aka ground myself from my friends), would I be more inspired to hunker down and learn the skills that I most need in order to propel myself forward as a DJ? Of course I need to let myself out every once in a while. So the analyst's brain is configuring this reality: (Here's where the kick-ass pad comes in) if I'm gonna ground myself, I need to want to be there more than anywhere else. And if I have a kick-ass pad, then I might as well have some people over on the 1 night a week I'm not grounded. See where I'm going with this? The thought came to me and I haven't been able to shake it. Of course, the Global Underground mix blasting in my ear is only making me more anxious.
Lets face it, this city is changing. And you know, I kinda like it. Today I saw a couple walking their months-old baby in a stroller down Broadway, coffee cups in hand. Seattle is becoming a more urban city. People are moving here, into the city. I've met 8 people who have moved here from New York in the past 2 years. There is a reason for that -- Seattle rocks. I used to think one couldn't make it as a DJ here because people didn't go out and thus did not support the clubs. But that changes each time another condo building is constructed from an alleyway or another fancy bar takes over a tavern. The yuppie in me is stoked. That's the part that wants to chill from moving forward for a while -- always reaching to the next goal, never sitting still -- and hang out, watch the city grow. I have great local gigs, amazing local friends and an opportunity to live an urban chic lifestyle for as much or as little time as I want. I worked hard to get where I'm at, as a Linux chic and as a DJ. Why not sit back and enjoy?
Of course its possible that my desire to sit still is overwhelming me because in 1 month I will begin the 3-month journey to which I am referring as my 'West Coast Tour'. I started manifesting this over a year ago when I told my employers that I would be quitting in June to travel up and down the coast of CA making contacts and playing gigs. My plans changed a bit when I was laid off in January, realized the opportunity to begin learning production and discovered contracting. But after my recent release from girlfriend duties and some old travel plans coming together, I'm now about to embark on said tour. I'm still working out gigs, but the dates are getting pretty rock solid. Here's the itinerary:
March 15 (Homeless)
March 20 SF (DJ @ Annie's Social Club March 20)
March 20-23 Tahoe
March 23-28 SF
March 28-Apr 2 LA
April 2-7 Palm Springs for Dinah Shore
April 7-24 Vegas
April 24-27 Palm Springs for Coachella
Apr 27 - May 1 Seattle
May 2 Seattle (DJ @ Noc Noc)
May 3-4 Idaho Falls (DJ @ TBD)
May 8 Seattle (DJ @ Qool Seattle)
May 14-June4 Hawaii Big Island (Regional Burn)
June 4-7 Maui (Nick and Melissa's Wedding)
June 7 Seattle (DJ @ Qool Seattle)
June 15 My Birthday
June 20th-22 Boise (DJ @ Esthetic Evolution)
July 1 Move into sexy new space in Seattle
Can it get better then that?!? Yes, it can, but the question is -- am I ready? Or do I want to apply the breaks and check out the local scenery for a while?
As I near the end of my current I.T. contract, I'm homeless and have money in the bank. I'm at ground zero, ready to start anew. This is a dangerous situation, as it makes me think anything is possible. And the reality is, of course, anything IS possible. All I have to do is choose.
