Hola estudiantes. I recently wrote this response to a post on Jason Mcguire's flamenco forum from a guitarist who gets down after the long gigs sometimes. There are always big ups and downs being an artist, but there are ways to minimize your trauma. It's very simple, NEVER SELL YOURSELF SHORT.
I no longer do restaurant shows because they bummed me out too much after many years. But these are very necessary gigs for most of us who need to make a living. It is also a great way to practice. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it.
Whether it is a restaurant, club, theater or big festival, get what you deserve. A restaurant should give you full meals(off the menu not some slop they round up) and drinks every time you play. A club should give you what they have and give you a decent greenroom. Never take less money than you think you are worth. More important, never let anyone treat you like shit. It's never worth being someone's bitch.
What this means is you have to be willing to turn down or lose work to keep your integrity. I can tell you from experience that it pays tenfold. I'm a much happier person, I get paid more and always get treated well, because I won't accept anything else.
You also would be doing a great favor to your fellow artists. If none of us put up with bullshit, than they'd have to pay well and take care of ALL of us. For example, I won't do more than two 40-45 minute sets, because I don't think it is appropriate for the art form(my opinion) if you want a captive audience. Many clubs want us to be jazz musicians and it is not the same animal.
When I'm not doing bigger shows or on tour, I could gig 4 or 5 days a week if I wanted. I choose 1 or 2 because they are the only places that give flamenco the respect it deserves, and treat us and pay us well. Same goes for private shows. If you hold your ground, you'll lose half the shows, but many of them are not great anyway. You'll find you get paid twice as much and get respect because you demand it.
Hope this doesn't come across as arrogant, because that is not my intention. I just hate the fact that people think they can treat artists like shit and get away with it. We all deserve better than that.
So going back to the original post, sometimes you do just feel down after a show no matter what. That's life. But you can eliminate the many other factors that are usually the things that bum you out. Un Abrazo- El Comanche
