The work is not the work

In college one of my professors told us this. “The work is not the work.”

What he meant was that the work of being a musician isn’t writing the music. This class was referring specifically to working as a media composer for film, TV, and video games. Writing the music for the gig isn’t the work. The work is finding the gig. Finding places to write music for and finding paid work is the actual work.

And I think it’s quite true. Performing at the gig isn’t the same as finding the gig that pays well. The harder of those two is to find gigs that pay. That’s where the hard work is; in finding paying gigs.

The work isn’t the work.

ISJ