I guess we’ve all got a 2020 story, and while there’s a lot that everyone in the world shared, I know that it affected everybody differently. Aside from the horror story of how many people have lost their lives (or their loved ones), our day to day lives and our careers have all been altered in some way.
Some of us worked through the pandemic, some were furloughed (how many of us had even heard that word before last year?) and some lost their income almost overnight.
Even from those possibilities there are good outcomes and bad outcomes. I lost (pretty much) all my music income for 2020, but I’m fortunate that I don’t rely 100% on gigs, and I was able to upscale my other work a bit to help fill the gap. I found more ways to work online in a musical capacity. It’s not been easy, but I have to admit I fared better than many. I’ve been lucky.
What do I do without gigs?
I’m sure like most musicians, I spent 2020 REALLY missing playing live (it’s the part of being a musician I love the most) but after a few months (and following a couple of fun socially distanced outdoor summer gigs) the pain retreated a little. Maybe there was a way back to a new normal after all.
Most of the musicians I know turned into experts in recording from home, and most of us upgraded our home setups; Space Elevator recorded our third album remotely, so in our own ways, we all adapted to the new situation.
It was during the forced sabbatical from live music that my wife was offered a new job. A promotion, better salary and a perfect fit for her skills and what she is passionate about. One crucial consideration – it required a move to the Netherlands.
We’ve always loved the Netherlands, and have a number of friends there. However, with live music being such a huge part of my life, it would have seemed madness to ditch my network and move 700 miles away! A move like this is something we’d never have considered until all gigs stopped and everyone started working remotely…
A new start
So, here we are. We live in the Netherlands now, and have temporarily changed my focus away from live music, to spend time writing and recording. I hope to get into the live scene here, but am happy to take a little time out to finish some personal projects I’ve been working on on and off for several years. It will be even better once I get my guitars shipped out here (but that’s another story altogether…)