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I Quit My Day Job for Music

"Don't quit yer day-job" is advice often heard. Well I've done it. Again.

Last time I was 24 and fed up with being an Engineer. I wanted to move away from my home area and thankfully my wife was up for it. We moved to Golden, Colorado on our 3rd wedding anniversary.

This time, I'm 41 and the choice and process were tremendously more complicated by all the things that come along with time. Inertia, kids, obligations, etc. So it was a very painful and difficult process for the last 5 months. I've sort of been absent from here during that time.

I was President of a small and very successful company that I started in 2006. After 8 years of very intense efforts I decided it was time for a change. The demands of the business had changed and other circumstances meant this was the time to spring off to something else.

This all comes back to CBGs because I went through some of the most troubling times in the last 5 months. I've faced off extremely difficult challenges including cancer when I was 29 with greater ease. I'm a stoic and logical person, but I had what were probably genuine anxiety issues and strong psychosomatic responses at certain points recently. Last week, I had an evening when I couldn't breathe.

I'm not the type to seek medication or self-medicate with alcohol to cope, but I wasn't sure what to do. And then I decided to pick up my Rustocaster 1931 license plate guitar. And all was OK.

So yes, I have quit my day-job and yes, music will be part of it. I'll spend the next year playing more and likely will build a few special instruments for sale. Here are a couple things I'm working on now.

8-string Octave Mandolin

I'm almost done with this one. My choice to use my signature twisted head stock is causing me headaches for stringing it up since I think there will be too much side-loading on my zero bone design nut. I have some ideas for solving this, but it is slowing me down.

Electric Upright Bass

My 9 year-old daughter and I are making a 1/4 size electric upright. Maple neck and purple heart finger board with 4" radius. We're calling this one the Dragon Mace since the hand-carved sections remind me of dragon scales.

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Comment by Bad Finger (Eric) on August 6, 2014 at 11:08am: Thanks Jim and Wes. The stress is over for the family and I. We're looking forward to a year of peace. Or as much peace as you can get with 6 and 9 year old daughters!

Comment by Jim Morris on August 6, 2014 at 10:08am: My heart is with you Eric. The last couple of years in my career just about drove me crazy and I felt trapped because I was close to retirement and thought it would be dumb to leave when I was that close to my goal. The only thing that kept me sane was Sat. night with a Strat in my hand playing in local bars. I did self medicate much to the detriment of many things. But the music is what kept me from losing it. Now, when my wife tells me I'm selling my instruments too cheap or spending too much time in the shop I have to tell her "this is therapy for me" It keeps me (usually) from overdoing the things that I fell into a few years ago and fills a void in my soul. The sticker I had made for my CB instruments replaces the Surgeon Gen's warning with this

"Caution - music is habit forming and may cure certain illnesses"

Keep going where your heart leads you and I bet you'll be fine!

Comment by Ron "Oily" Sprague on August 6, 2014 at 9:55am: Woo Hoo! Twisted headstock and crossover strings. Can't wait to see it. And if it works, I'm gonna have ou do me one just like it ;-)

Comment by Bad Finger (Eric) on August 6, 2014 at 9:46am: Thanks for the comments. Like I said, this post launched after my browser crashed so I didn't have a chance to proof the text. I should be clear that my experience with cancer was in 2002 when I was 29 so it is well behind me. Sorry for anyone who though I was going through that now.

The anxiety reached a climax as I was in final negotiations of my exit and for my wife who worked with me as well. We're all doing very well now and we look forward to a year of "sabbatical" while we pursue other interests and spend time with our daughters.

I'm really, really liking the crossover idea for the strings. I'm going to give that a whirl.

Comment by robert jones on August 6, 2014 at 5:42am: Good luck with the changes Eric. I heartily agree that when anything makes one have an anxiety attack it's time to re-evaluate the situation.

Cool idea Ron, those crossed strings would look neat!

Comment by Bad Finger (Eric) on August 6, 2014 at 4:01am: Thanks. My browser crashed as I was finishing this post and I didn't even check to see, assuming I lost the whole thing. I have some ideas with SST tuning for string guides.

Comment by Ron "Oily" Sprague on August 6, 2014 at 3:03am: Orr go crazier: string it backwards, so that the RH ( facing the headstock) tuners use the bass strings for a straighter travel, while the LH tuners need post string trees. Use roller string trees for the RH ones so that you have an over-under harp like effect on the strings crossing the headstock.