So, here I am at the end of this blogging challenge and at the beginning of a new chapter in my blogging life.   What do I write about now?  What do I do now?  How do I keep things going?

I thought about these questions, out loud, with my boyfriend Ian Hattwick, and at the end of our discussion, he summed things up nicely:

“If you can be gigging, gig.

If you can’t be gigging, write.

If you can’t write, do business.

If you can’t do business, take the night off… ”

It makes a lot of sense to me.

Gigging is the work.  It’s what it’s all about – making music.   It’s meeting real people in the real world who are going to care about what you’re doing – because they’re there to see it.   It’s the hardest part and the most rewarding part – and not something you can do any old time…  usually.

Writing is also central to what it’s all about.  It keeps things interesting both for the artist and the listener.   Sometimes it’s not the easiest thing to get to either – as many of us have discovered in the creative realm, but without trying to meet “the muse” half-way, you won’t bump into her very often at all.

Doing business isn’t always easy – but it is always there.  It’s an email, a phone call, a blog post, or a tweet away.   We can do it day or night – anytime we can get to a computer or a phone.  I think it’s wise to systematize things.   Plan and aim to do specific things on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.   Keep the “business” wheels turning and lubricated.   I do my best to stay flexible and creative in this world too – because it so unquantifiable.  It’s hard to tell if all of the effort is even working…  In the end, it’s an exploration – an experiment.   It will take a shape and evolve – if you give it that initial throw.

Take a break.  Sometimes I struggle with stopping.   Sometimes, it is absolutely the right thing to do.