Motivation to perform

[Figo]

ok so it's thursday at 15:40 and once again i haven't gone out and worked. the last time was last Sunday.

I seem to find it really difficult to get the motivation to go out and perform mid week. mondays and tuesdays are totally out. wednesdays are hit and miss. thursdays are usually ok.
how do you guys get the motivation to go out every day and perform?

don't get me wrong when i do work i work hard 5-8 shows on a saturday and on a sunday and 4 shows on a friday. so i work hard and get the financial and motivational reward for the hard work. but during the week the crowd isn't always up for it and i'm totally not, so i find it more trouble than it's worth.
i wanna work hard and become a stronger and better performer any one able to help me.

cheers

figo

[Evan Young]

take it easy, it's winter, past season. spend time learning new skills. take some acting classes, circus classes, whatever.
video yourself and try to make a promo vid.

I think it can help to take some time off anyway. gets your script out of your head so you can be more creative later.

[Isabella]

I don't work days that aren't good days - why wear yourself out physically and mentally when you could focus that energy on the best times and make more money per show then?

Evan's got a good point, too - spend the slow days improving your show, training, learning new tricks, doing a hobby that inspires you, booking more gigs, whatever.

Enjoy

[vconaway]

For me, my backup plan as a musician is always to change gears and work up new material. I'm busking in Italy right now and Isabella is visiting on the last leg of her vacation (before she comes back to Europe in June to perform). I'm a really interactive busker, talking to my audiences and describing the history of the music and the dulcimer while I play, but while taking pictures at one point she said "that one was for you, wasn't it? You didn't look up and smile at anyone for about forty frames".

Even then sometimes I just don't want to do it, and I've found that if I respect those desires I can usually come back and make up for it on the good days. If I try and force it I don't make any money (the audience can tell, it's a sixth sense) and I just burn myself out so that the good days never come.