Thread: Quit your day job??

I thought this was an interesting and very relevant article about Etsy--and can certainly be applied to belly dance. I know from personal experience that I have never worked so hard as when I was unemployed and earning my sole income from dancing. My hat goes off to dancers who do this for a living--it's hard work!!

Also, I think this is a good article for 6-week wonders to read. They are usually the ones that are overly dreamy about life as a professional dancer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/fa...y.html?_r=1&em

Thanks so much for sharing this. Great article.

I have to agree with everything you said. I'm fortunate enough to have unemployment benefits to fall back on while I dance and look for a new job. Even with a modest amount of income already coming in, though, I still feel it every time I get undercut or a client cancels on me. I also find myself doing a lot more gigs that I'd normally pass off to a friend - restaurants, locations that are more than an hour's drive away, double bookings in one night. I don't have the luxury of being picky anymore, and the inconsistent cash flow makes me crazy.

Moral of the story? If you want to dance full-time, you've gotta want it BAD. The lifestyle certainly is not for everyone - and you can't half-ass it, that's for sure! It's definitely not for me, and I couldn't find a full-time corporate job soon enough!

My recent experiences have given me so much respect for those who choose to do this for a living. It takes serious dedication and perseverence to keep your schedule full and your spirits up!

I think what a lot of people don't realize about being a full-time dancer (or any other self-employed person) is that you have to wear so many hats. It's not enough to just dance/teach well (or whatever thing you do/make), you have to learn marketing, accounting, and so much more.... yup, I do that.

Mahin

I took a 75% cut in pay when I went from my day job to teaching and performing full time. It's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure.

When I was in high school and wanted to go to acting school and be an actress, my grandmother, who was an actress and dancer in Germany in the 1930s, took me aside and warned me that unless I wanted it all day every day for the next 30 years and I was willing to go on audition after audition and work mediocre jobs for years to live the dream...Ok go. That was enough of a conversation to snap me out of it. I didn't see myself working as a waitress until I was 40.

That said I am so glad I have become a belly dancer. It brings in much needed extra income that has supported me in financially more stretched times. Becoming a full time dancer has never been a feasible option for me for a variety of reasons (no. 1 - I am in grad school working on my phD) but I think that the knowledge that I don't need this - it isn't the basis of my livelihood, helps me keep the love alive.

Originally Posted by nadira82

I think that the knowledge that I don't need this - it isn't the basis of my livelihood, helps me keep the love alive.

This is exactly how I feel.

Everybody's different, but I'm in a better creative space when I'm not pressured to take every gig that comes my way. Not to mention, having a 9-5 keeps me balanced and prevents me from tying up too much of my worth into how many gigs I have lined up at any given moment.

Like I said, though. Kudos to those who follow their dreams and find new ways to "fill the well" every day!

Thanks for the article.

I have a love/hate relationship with my day job. I'm a physicist/engineer and currently a grad student. I love doing the science and working in the lab, but most of the time, I'm doing homework or paperwork and fighting politics or worrying about getting yelled at (and sometimes convinced that I'll be fired). I wish I could quit my day job for a little while and keep my focus only on belly dance and costume making (the only things it seems that I'm really good at... love science, but not great at it). But I'm the bread winner for me and the significant other, so it would not be responsible of me to do so. Oy, I hate feeling stuck.

Anyway, I'll try to be content for now to collect extra spending money from dance and etsy. Glad to see that article.

Great article! I am one of those who quit my day job years ago to dance professionally full time. It is definitely difficult and at times overwhelming but thankfully I am happy to say that I have made it through and am doing well this year in particular. So many women think it is such a glamorous and easy life but underneath all the makeup and costuming is a lot of work and negative side that comes along with it. The hours sewing, editing music, looking for the next step to make yourself better, and the jealousy and bosses to deal with. You truly have to LOVE bellydance to the last bead to do this only. I think with the economy the way it is it is a great idea to have a day job to be perfectly honest. I wish I did sometimes but thankfully I am able to pay for school and am making it through. Hopefully we all have a better year in 2010 girls.

Originally Posted by jordonezbellydance

You truly have to LOVE bellydance to the last bead to do this only.

Love this quote! I danced four back to back shows on New Years. My quads are screaming this morning! And when I got home, the entire soles of my feet were BLACK--I've had the balls become sooty gray before, but this was like I had been dancing on charcoal!! ..l;,

Congratulations, Jordon, on making it work. You are a strong, resourceful, dedicated woman!

I quit my day job 4 years ago and it has been a lot of fun. The lifestyle is definitely different. :) But lately it has been more and more difficult financially thanks to the economy, so now I have been looking for a 'real" job. I will be starting teaching a year from now (k-12 schools) so now might as well get some experience in the classroom, but more importantly I need just a little bit of financial stability, and then all the belly dance drama and uncertainty will be bearable. This past 4 years have been awesome though, I will always remember back as the funnest years of my life.
I will continue dancing and focus on it just as much as before, but I feel that if I will continue to rely on dancing as a sole source of income I will start hating it. And I just can't do it, anyways, because of my higher expenses.

I have a well-paying day job thankfully but it is also very demanding and trying. I danced my way through college, and someday hope to go part time and dance part time. I know there will be a pay cut but I think a good balance. When I was teaching full time I had 100 students, a lot of them depending on me for their self esteem pick-me ups. I think that was the most draining part, although very rewarding.

Unlike dancers who "hobby" it, there is the pressure to get work, and then it does become "the job." As Laura said, it is definitely not for the faint of heart, which is why I hold on to my day job. Call me chicken but for me, it's the most sensible. For those who do this full time, you have my utmost admiration.