How did you know you could go full time?

[Daniel Mooncalf]

When do you think it's safe to give up a real job, and start doing this stuff full time?

[Rachel Peters]

I'm not sure it's ever "safe" to quit a real job for art.
But quitting sure can make or break you to find out if you're really cut out for it.
If it "makes" you rather than "breaks" you, it'll push you to be better, stronger, and more unique, in order to survive, maintain, and maybe even thrive.
"Necessity is the mother of invention" and all that.
I think, in some cases, keeping the real job for too long can leave your ART in a state of “safe”.

I just quit mine yesterday.

HIGH FIVE!!

(but I don't have a family to feed. It also depends on priorities.)

[Schuyler]

It's a highly personal thing it seems. I know I can't balance a real job and "art". So I'm scrimping now and working like mad to be ready for this summer, to finally (after hanging around here for a year) make a real run at performing full time. I suppose the question is, how much can you feasibly sacrifice to make it a full time job, and do you feel comfortable doing so?

[Rachel Peters]

Or, how well can you make a business of your art so you won't have to sacrifice so much? that in itself is an art. That has been my whole life/career. Entertainment (regardless of the specific artform) is all I'm really GOOD at. I HAVE had to make it pay.
It is possible.

[Mr.Taxi Trix]

Use Magic.

Have a ritual. A bonfire helps. I used to paint houses, and enjoyed burning a brush early one fall, probably the dumbest time to quit the fallback job, but it worked. There was something about watching the brush burn that made it final.

Now, 22 years later, its time for me to burn a juggling club or something. I don't think I can, there is no anger toward entertaining, for me. I'm taking September off, for a start, and hope it is the first of many months off the stage. I'll probably quietly box everything, light a midget on fire, and sneeze twice.

I'm moving over to sculpture, and if the next three quarters are anything like JanFebMar, I'll be showless for the a few decades.

Market your ass off, and run into it like it matters. You'll be fine.

Cool rocks:

http://karlsaliter.wordpress.com/

[Rachel Peters]

HIGH FIVE!!

[Evan Young]

I quit doing other jobs when I didn't have time for the other jobs.

[jeep caillouet]

Don't get a job

I never think about a job.I just get up and go entertain ( I get what I need, always have) . Some days are easy some days I have to entertain my ass off! Never a job.

[Rachel Peters]

get a job when you need or want one. do whatever works.

.

[Bob Carr]

I think if you do what you love then it is not work.

When people retire, they normally take a few years off and then they start doing something that they like, instead of doing something they have to.

I don't see it as sacrifices that I make for my art. I see it that I don't have to sacrifice my life to some stupid job.

If you do quit your job to go in to show business, remember that it is not just show, but also business. Plan time each day to sit in your office and actively get gigs. Set time aside to train new tricks and keep up no old ones.

Most small businesses fail the first year, it may be good if you have someone to help pay the rent.

[scot]

I encourage people to go for their dreams if they're already doing it, but really, it sucks. It's horrible pushing against society and the ideals of your rearing. Your colleagues will be moody, antisocial, and flaky.

If you need to justify quitting your job, the artist's life might not be worth the pain.

I didn't read what the other people said, but I'm sure I prolly agree with most of it. Remember though, it is horrible and painful.

[Isabella]

It is never safe to be an artist

I often tell people to quit their day jobs before they think they are ready, because being hungry makes you a better performer - that is, you get better, faster, when you have to eat on what you make.

Also, it takes time to be a good performer - time to rehearse and book and travel and do the gigs. If you have to squeeze that time in on your other job, it's hard to get better.

Most people are not able to take that advice. The two who have are now full-time performers.

I never had another full time job - I stopped temping when I just didn't have enough available days any more.

[FADE]

For me it was a matter of finding out how much money was coming in from performing vs. how much was going out for food, mortgage, etc. I made sure to be a little extra generous with my expense projections and to include some money for entertainment.

For the getting gigs stuff one thing that is really helping me lately is setting a timer that I can hit when I start working (self promotion, etc) and then hit again whenever I stop to make sure I do at least an hour of "office" work a day. Any time I get distracted I subtract from the timer, so "one hour" usually means three, but I'm ok with that.

Now is a great time to make that transition now that winter is over - more gigs, lower cost of living.

Having said that, I like the ritual idea better.

[Lee Nelson]

Jump and the net will appear. The best time to do it was yesterday.

I go with what Isabella said and am totally glad there is someone else out there with a similiar experience to me. The four incredibly happy people I have convinced to quit there jobs and become performers are what I could call some of my greatest life achievements so far.

[Frisbee]

Thats good advice FADE about keeping time of how much you are putting in.

I do something similar and it definately helps you to focus your time and energies.

When you say you are going to rehearse for an hour, keep time.
When you are going to work at the office work stuff, keep time.

And try not to get distracted by little things.

when you are doing anything related to your job keep time.

if this is going to be your full time job, treat it like a job and punch in and out for work.

(proverbially time clock punching of course, unless punching an actual time clock will make you more motivated, then go out and buy one)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paraphrasing here:
In the Documentary "Comedian" Jerry Seinfeld talks about how he got motivated by one day seeing a bunch of construction workers going back to work after lunch...knowing that they did not necessarily want to go back to work...but they did, because it was there job to, if they did not they would not have a job tommorow.

Our job as performers/comedians is the same, you need to work and you should do some form of it as a regular working schedule. even if you do not always want to you have to because it is what we chose to do as a profession and we are the professionals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------