The Artist

This is a great quote.   Although I wonder if this means I'm not much of an artist anymore, because I opted for a life/family. 

“Artists are some of the most driven courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day to day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, artists face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get ‘real’ jobs, and their own fear that they’ll never work again. Everyday they have to ignore the possibility that the vision to which they have dedicated their lives is a pipedream. With every passing year, many of them watch as other people their age, achieve the predictable milestones of normal life - the car, the family, the house, the nest egg. But they stay true to their dream, in spite of the sacrifices. Why? Because artists are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that line, that laugh, that gesture, or that interpretation that will stir the audience’s soul. Artists are beings who have tasted life’s nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another’s heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes.”
 

— David Ackert

At the risk of whining about first world problems,  it can be tricky to reconcile goals and dreams with reality.  I don't think I ever fully committed to achieving the music career I trained for, and I'm not sure if that was because I didn't really want it at the expense of a life, or I just didn't want to fail, or I wasn't dedicated enough, or all of the above.

It is a fuzzy line to tread now that all of my training and experience is in this field.  The easy answer would be teach piano lessons, and of course I have reasons why I don't want to do that right now.  I need to recommit myself to getting involved in the music scene when I get back in town.  I really miss playing chamber music.