Creativity is the mother of invention and a hopeful source of revenue in tough times

BY DAVE EICHENBERGER
Your View – Your Voice Guest Writer

Published June 2020

The life of a professional musician is not so different from many people who work as contractors in the modern gig economy. Income streams can be as creative as music itself, as performing, teaching, recording, and consulting forms the basis of our work.

Like any gig-getter, one of the benefits of this way of life is that it doesn’t lock us in to doing only one thing, and when seasonal slowdowns happen, we can make up for it by adjusting the ratio of our income streams.

I perform with Julie Black & Her Band, an original jazzy blues band based in New Port Richey and have been a guitar teacher for 20 years in this area. I also write and release instrumental music under my own name.

The pandemic has affected everyone in some way, and artists were hit particularly hard. Seemingly overnight, performance opportunities disappeared, and music students (rightly so) stayed home. Those previously adjustable income streams screeched to a halt.

Artists generally don’t have months of income saved up, and if you live in a dual artist household, like I do, the issue is compounded. Now creative thinking can’t just be reserved for songwriting, it must be applied to getting through this strange time we are in.

PHOTO | JULIE BLACK

As you can imagine, teaching took quite a big hit. While some students simply stopped coming in, many were happy to switch to virtual lessons. There were even some amazingly thoughtful students who paid me to keep their spot.

My partner and I set up regular Sunday Porch Concerts for broadcast on Facebook Live and Instagram TV. We could literally perform on our front porch and further build our audience all over the world. These shows were just four or five songs and included stories about the songwriting process played in vastly different arrangements. This also attracted some attention in our neighborhood, as neighbors sat at the end of their driveways and listened. Guests sat well distanced on our driveway.

PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

Performances were transferred to live-streaming events on Facebook and Instagram, which expanded the global audience we wouldn’t have access to while playing at a local festival. Patrons of the arts could contribute during our weekly shows, and this support would be key to surviving what would be months of canceled student lessons and performances. For their support, we are forever grateful.

While a pandemic can stop festivals and teaching sessions, it doesn’t stop the act of writing and releasing music. More time home means more creative time and time to release new music. Releasing new music has come a long way since getting your record in the local record shop. Independent artists have more control over their releases than ever. Over the quarantine, I was able to get a recording ready for release. This CD, Trust Action, features an hour of ambient music. Ambient music features calm, relaxing sounds designed to de-stress and forget about the tense time we are all living in. This was recorded a few years ago, but never released worldwide. It consists of real-time composition using a guitar and guitar synthesizer.

Creativity isn’t always about the notes, paint, clay, or the mechanics of making art. Applying creative thought processes to the situation at hand allows me to figure out a way forward in this cloudy future. These solutions will continue long after the pandemic is over, as we look forward to public performances coming back.

Dave Eichenberger is a grant-winning guitar teacher in downtown New Port Richey. In addition to composing music on his own, he is the guitarist with Julie Black & Her Band.

PHOTO | JULIE BLACK