We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marc Bosserman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marc below.
Marc , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I have been able to earn a very decent living as a musician for many years now.
And I can say with some certainty that if you are going to make it as an artist you’re going to need to be a rebel and/or be a little crazy. And you’ll need to be fiercely independent.
My story starts when I was about 10 years of age. Various people told me that being a musician was going to be a terrible job.
You’ll be poor, it’s a “hard” life, you’ll need a “backup plan”, etc…All this “helpful” advice from nice and I’m sure, well-meaning people.
One person that I knew who was a concert pianist had some very wild social issues.
I read biographies of Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Bach…the biographers seemed to love to concentrate on the hardship and the pain these amazing composers endured.
Not too much mention of the joy they experienced creating and playing their music for millions of adoring people.
And then there were Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Duane Allman, Otis Redding, Mama Cass Elliot, et…all great artists all dying tragic deaths when they were young.
Not setting a good example for other artists. And the writers, the purveyors of these tragedies some how tying the tragedy to the fact they were great artists and showing how they were following in the footsteps of other great artists…
Not too much stress on how their bad choices ruined their amazing careers and cut them off early.
My Mom’s advice was that what most people do is get some job they don’t really like and make money and do what they really want to do when they retire…( brutal when you’re 16…thinking of working for 50 years at some job you don’t LOOOOVE)
But, being rebellious and not interested in doing something I didn’t really want to do I somehow just ignored all this and followed this strange thing that a lot of artists are known for following…my heart
And noticing that I was so happy when I was creating music and sharing it with others and that overshadowed all other joys in life. I moved in the direction of “How can I do this for my living”??
And I remember thinking at 19 if I could make 150 dollars a night…and work 7 nights a week…I could make 1000 a week…Which was pretty good money in those days.
And even though it meant playing “dive bars” and “crappy gigs” and probably being a miserable social outcast …it seemed like it would somehow be awesome!
I was right!!
What those journalists and biographers neglected to impart is that music is so much fun to create and share. The greatest joy that there is in life is creating and communicating.
And being an artist is one of the greatest lives a person can live.
And anyone can do it if they really want to.
You just ignore all the false perspectives that you get from others and just figure out how to “art” your butt off as constantly as possible and find ways you can exchange that joy with others for sustenance and you will and can get on with living this dream life.
I remember, I was 22 I had to make income when my wife got pregnant and so I went on a sabbatical from my job at a church and started playing piano in earnest.
Within a week I had booked gigs every night and made more money in the next 8 months than I had ever mad before.
And no offense to the writers of all those biographies and tragedies all about the lives of musicians…it turned out to be at the time and still is the- most fun job imaginable.
I look forward to every gig and never get tired of the smiles and dancing and toe-tapping and singing along and the new friendships I make every day! : )
Marc , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Sure, I first played the piano when I was 7.
I heard someone playing “Heart and Soul” It sounded AMAZING! They showed me how to play it.
They said….” you can improvise”!
my mind was blown.
I knew right there, this is my jam.
If I could make those people dance…If I could bring the joy to others that music brought to me that would be awesome.
We had parties at my house. (my dad taught at the University of South Florida) People would sit and stand around the piano with guitars and hand drums and their voices and smiles and we would sing songs that we all knew…
It was bliss.
I don’t think there is any more beautiful sound than people, a lot of people, singing together.
Music is the antidote for hardships and things like politics. It’s the antidote for worrying too much. It reminds us that life is amazing. We are amazing and it focuses on what’s really important in life!!
Community, unity. The joy of creating! That’s what we are all about.
I play for people. As often as I can.
Birthday Parties
Engagement Parties
Corporate Parties
Theme Parties
Weddings
Fundraisers
Graduation Parties
You Name it.
Dinner Music
Proposals
Funerals
I’ve played in many different settings for many different reasons.
Music elevates life.
It adds life to life.
I think that how much I just truly love music comes across when I perform. How much I want the moment to be priceless and awesome comes across.
It’s only background music if you think it’s only background music.
I don’t think that way I think I can make every person in earshot or eyeshots day epic. Right now !
It’s almost all I am thinking about. How do I make it as awesome as it can be.
And it can be really awesome.
I want you to get nothing but love for having picked me to play for your event. I want your guests to drive you crazy with how awesome you are for having me.
And how much they really enjoyed the music.
I am going to be your “Louvre” ( a very famous museum in Paris, France where the Mona Lisa is on display! ) of piano and vocals!
I am always excited about that when I’m playing. The more fun you have the better time I have!
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I have been helped by so many people and by so many different experiences but one of the most life/career-changing books/articles that changed my whole perspective on music was from The “Art” book but L. Ron Hubbard.
Prior to reading this book I had was a sort of musical snob. I played “Jazz” and “progressive music”. I had considered this music to be Art – Music . I didn’t have much respect for “pop” music. Or music that wasn’t complex.
I thought playing music that was popular was “sell-out” and “common” etc…I had a negative idea of it.
But when I read this article on Art by Hubbard he explained that music was communication.
And that was really all it was.It was very simple. It took a few days for me to realize how simple it really was.
And I realized that Elvis Presley and the Beatles and Stevie Wonder and Cat Stevens had an amazing ability to reach their fellow man.
I realized that that was a remarkable ability.
And that people who could communicate could change the world.
Great artists have done more for the advance of humankind than almost all other people who have lived.
And I was able to change my stress as an artist from being complex and interesting to reaching others and making them happier!
It was a huge turning point for me.
I think it’s a key for artists to have communication as a stress. It can help any artist.
It has certainly made my artistic life more fulfilling.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Purpose is what drives all of us.
In marketing, I think Simon Sinek says to start with “Why.”
An artist wants to create an effect on others. And that purpose – that driving force in your life to create and make others lives better and a better world- is remarkable.
I think artists just have it so bad they can’t stand the idea of doing something else. And they know that if they make others happy they will be happy too!
I would say don’t have a backup plan!
You can do it. Just keep your eye on the mountain and organize to be able to keep doing it.
You will make it.
Because so many other people are being sidetracked into following what is “acceptable” in society and possibly what someone else wants for them they get off their own basic purpose.
Musicians are often lucky (and might feel cursed too) because they know that that’s what they want to do. They can have a drive on this that is rare and amazing to others.
Don’t worry if others don’t understand it.
just figure out how to make it happen and do it.
Follow your heart!!
There is way more to be gained from going after your dream.
You can do it!
Contact Info:
- Website: marcbosserman.tunepipe.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/marc_bosserman
- Facebook: facebook.com/perfectpianomusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbosserman/
- Twitter: twitter.com/marcbosserman
- Youtube: youtube.com/@marcbosserman
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/marc-bosserman-pianist-and-vocalist-tampa-bay-2?osq=pianist
- Other: Just do a Google Search