All Aboard For a New Life

posted 20th February 2011    Written by: Juliana    CATEGORY: All Posts, Juliana, Season 4, Travel, What I've Learned

Ahoy, mateys!

(I’ve always wanted to say that.)

By the time you read this, I will be finishing up a week  on the Cayamo Cruise. I’ve been wanting to go on Cayamo since I first heard of it three years ago, and I’m finally getting the chance! It’s basically a music festival on a boat, and it’s how I’m celebrating the end of my “Day Job”.

One of my New Year’s Resoloosetions* was to see more live music this year.  As a performer, sometimes the only live music I get to see is when I peek in on the set of someone I’m sharing a bill with, or get to stay and watch someone I’m opening for.  Many of my fellow musician buddies have shows the same nights I do, and it’s hard for me to stay out late to see a band in Atlanta when I live an hour away (and let’s face it, I am not 22 anymore.  All-nighters hurt!)

The downside of this is that my own music suffers.  In the same way that people who read more tend to have an easier time writing, I think musicians who actually go out and listen to music have an easier time making new music.   Also, I LOVE music. And it sucks not regularly experiencing something you love, right?

So, the cruise.  A friend of mine gave me this cruise as a gift (say it with me now, “Holy Crap!” I know. She is awesome.) and I cannot think of a better way to kick off the next six months of my life.

Several of my favorite songwriters will be on the boat this year, including Shawn Mullins, the Indigo Girls, Patty Griffin, and John Prine. If my intentions are to be more active, play more music, meet more musicians and travel more — well, I’m pretty much setting the tone right off the bat!   There will be dozens of shows, impromptu jam sessions, open mics, in addition to all the partying that most people go on a cruise for.

The day this post goes live, I’ll be returning to port, probably completely blissed out.  I’ll also be returning to, well, real life.  It will be the first time that I’ll be facing the fact that I don’t have a job…at least not an office job.   I’ll be coming down from a vacation and realizing that it wasn’t a vacation – there’s no desk to go back to. I’ve entertained the thought, tried to imagine how it will feel, a bunch of times, but I don’t think I will fully grasp the enormity of my decision until I get back home.

And actually, that’s probably for the best.  If I think too much about it now, the chance of me backing out increases.  If I think too much, I start to hear all the voices of concerned authority figures, parents, relatives and friends, telling me how impossible it is to live a creative life full-time.  These people want to keep me safe, to make sure I have it as easy as possible, that I don’t have to worry about things… but I can’t let fear take over at this point. Just because those voices are repeating the same messages over and over again, doesn’t mean that what they’re saying is true.

The truth is, I would rather be just a little bit worried about where my next paycheck is coming from if the real payoff is that I am spending time making my dreams come true.   The truth is, I have a husband who is more than supportive of me going after it, and many friends who rally behind me like awesome, loud cheerleaders — and their voices rise over the worried muttering of all the others.

Here’s to jumping ship, and boarding a new one.

* Note: A resoLOOSEtion is not the same as a resolution.  The latter implies that you’re gonna be a big fat failure if you don’t stick to it, whereas the former is a fun guideline that’s OK to stray from.  I made resoloosetions to take the pressure off of myself and it seems to be working!

[photo credit: bluespf42]

Bookmark and Share
Comments (2)

2 Responses to “All Aboard For a New Life”

  • erinmakesitwork Says:
    February 21st, 2011 at 11:37 am

    Good for you! I hope you have a completely splendid time and absolutely love every inch of your trip. I'm so excited to see where this creative lifestyle journey takes you.

  • Natalie Says:
    February 23rd, 2011 at 11:42 am

    This cruise sounds like it is going to be reinvigorating! I hope it was everything you thought it would be and more. Can't wait to hear about it

Leave a Reply

name*


email* (will not be published)


website


comments