January 2, 2008 7:51am

So for about six hours plus a lunch break, I was doing typical office work: interpreting data and putting things in order. I was dealing with confidential stuff so I can't really go into more detail. Mildly interesting stuff but nothing that would make a difference to me one way or the other personally. Of course, it's a serious job and I want to give it my best effort. But it was repetitive.

Then again, being an artist can be repetitive too. We have to keep up our basic techniques. For us guitarists this involves playing rasgueados over and over. Scales (aka picado), alzapúa, arpeggios, falsetas etc so that we can execute them without thinking too much and therefore devote more of our mental energy towards accompanying the dancers and singers.

January 2, 2008 7:51am

So my experience today brought back not-so-good memories from when I used to work in an office eight years ago. I was good at what I did and because of that I was very efficient. Frequently I finished my work earlier in the day than my colleagues. But what motivated me was my desire to work on my website and use the company's broadband Internet access to get my web-related work done. (Yes, it's true: the first four years I did the bulk of my website design work at the office.) But what made my time at the office feel longer than reality was that I was spending my whole eight hours thinking about what it would be like having a blast at my flamenco gigs later that night. Eight hours felt like sixteen!

January 2, 2008 7:52am

Of course my day job eight years ago paid well but it was sucking the life out of me. Music is what I love and I could make money doing it anyway--maybe not that much at first, but the tradeoff for me was worth it. When I quit my day job to go into flamenco full-time, my income did drop drastically in the beginning (but I had some money set aside to keep me afloat for a few months).

I'm glad I did what I did because a long time ago I would've justified the long hours in the office with the large paychecks. But what good would all that money be to me if I had no energy left in me to enjoy it? Think about it: if I got used to the "comfort" of the large paychecks, the years would pass by and I'd still feel the emptiness of not devoting enough time to my passion. Thank goodness I followed my instincts while still young: why not do what I love and do it for a living? Of course the artist's life isn't for everyone. And yeah, I am single with no children or siblings to support...so it works for me.

The point I 'm trying to make here is that I want to remind you to follow your passion. Not all of us can make a living doing it. And if you can't make a living doing it, at the very least, make a promise to yourself to make time for it on a regular basis.

End of lecture! Here are some quotes you should write down and put somewhere, like your refrigerator door or bathroom mirror, to serve as a reminder and to inspire:

• Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one - Stella Adler
• What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit - John Updike
• Art is a lie that makes us realize truth. - Pablo Picasso
• Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life. -John Lubbock

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