A peek into my life as a musician and the road that got me here
When I lived in Roermond, worked 5 days a week for the government, and life was generally depressing and overwhelming, I didn’t expect I’d be doing so much better just short of 3 years later. I finally understand what they mean by “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” however lame that may sound.
I started work during the well-known pandemic. It was horrible. I luckily was able to get out of the house by joining a colleague in the biology department on field trips, but other than that I was stuck at home and that home left me wanting. It was a studio, which I shared half of the time with my lovely girlfriend. There was noise from my upstairs neighbors and I shared a hallway with four other rooms. It was like my student days all over, except I was working 4 days a week with a 5th day (Friday) of intensive self-reflection personal development courses. Though I owe it to those courses that I am where I am now, in a way.
Those Fridays made me think about what drains my energy and what gives me energy. I always knew I loved music, but I always told myself (and was told) that I wouldn’t be able to make a proper living out of it. That held me back all through my student years from 2011 into 2021. When the worst possible disaster struck and life became a living nightmare with the far too early loss of my mother, suddenly nothing else mattered.
The job didn’t matter. Money didn’t matter. All that mattered were those close to me and somehow working my way through this hellscape. My mother had always been my biggest fan, by far. So, when I decided it was time to follow my dreams because life is too short and too full of misery to even consider doing anything I don’t feel comfortable with, I knew she would have supported me.
In time, as the months passed by and I started to get a hang of this professional musicianship, specifically when I recently became 30, I discovered life has to be lived as easily as possible. Life is objectively and undeniably hard, so each step I take to make my life easier and more enjoyable is a step in the right direction. We’re all worth it and owe it to ourselves to maximize enjoyment every chance we get. For me, that is what life is. And I’m so grateful that luck, chance, and persistence have allowed me to be where I am now.
So where am I now, after almost 3 years? I’m paying the bills with this guitar, Delilah. And that’s a bit of comfort that I never thought I would achieve so fast. I’m not getting rich any time soon, not wealth-wise, anyway. But I am spending my time doing what I love. It doesn’t feel like work. I am always busy with music, be it writing music or writing a blog like this, teaching others how to play music, or what I love best; performing and recording.
I feel truly blessed to be at this point in life. I’ve got a beautiful and kind fiancée, I’ve got some very good and deep friendships, I live in a town that suits me, and in my heart, I know this is just the start of it all. Back in Roermond I gave myself 10 years to achieve where I am now and was hoping I could be there in 5. I’ve still over 7 years left to perfect this dream and add to it. I’m excited to see where I stand then, looking back on 10 years of musicianship.
From the lemons now comes lemonade. My music will continue to flow out of me until the day I die. Even if I have to live in a shack out in the woods (hey, that doesn’t sound so bad), I will keep on producing and sharing the art with the world. I am happy to have you with me on this journey and I’m very excited to see what comes next!
Bart Zeal 