We were lucky to catch up with Chris Reed recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

Yes! I am a full time musician and have been since August, 2021. The first week of going full time, I lost every gig I had booked. Double bookings with other musicians, weather affecting outside work, and also just having bad luck- but I kept going and continued to navigate through the music scene of Columbia. I found out that many musicians in the scene share gigs and help each other out quite often. I honestly would not have changed the way I learned to book myself because going through the more difficult times has helped me coach other musicians who are starting off and going through similar scenarios. I appreciate being able to help others as well as pushing myself to be a better human being in the process.

Chris, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

August 31st, 2021 I decided to become a professional musician and rely on performing as my only means of income. It’s a dream I’ve had since I was 9 years old, and I finally did it!

I planned it all out, what could go wrong?

-“I thought you were on the schedule for next week?”
-“I don’t think we’re going to have live music again until the spring.”
-“Hey, sorry. We need to cancel from the rain.”

3 cancellations in the first week, 30 day notice to vacate apartment, school has Covid so all parents are now homeschool teachers, transmission goes out in the car…but I planned it all out right???

Here’s the thing: there are some things in life you just can’t plan for. Sometimes it’s tough. Sometimes you just want to give up and then something else happens that pushes you even further from your goal. I could give up if I wanted to, that would probably be easier.

Work a 12 hour job every day.
Steady income.
Stay quiet.

…but, I’ve never been much for easy…
…or a regular job…
…or quiet.

I finally found out how to help people, to bring suicide awareness, to show that you don’t have to be on drugs or drinking to make it through a show.

I’m proud of my accomplishments and I’m very thankful for everyone that has pushed me in the right direction!

If I can do it, so can you.
Get out there.
Give it your best.
And when (not if) they knock you down,
jump back up even stronger than before.

You’ve got this. Stop giving up.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of my career is playing for retirement communities and assisted living facilities. It’s the best audience every time. They look forward to that hour all week and they really appreciate the music. Seeing the wheels start turning in their heads again after hearing a Frank Sinatra or Bobby Darin song and then coming up after the show and telling me stories of the first time they saw Elvis Presley in the ’50s- it’s such a special experience and I encourage any musician whether in the beginning stages of starting off or an established performer to play for the older crowds. It’s worth it.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The best way you can help your local artists are to attend the shows and spread the word. I have received more work by word-of-mouth and handing out business cards than I ever have from making cold calls. When I first started out, I called over 30 venues every single day until one of them gave me a gig. Networking with other musicians gave me the opportunity to see how different people operate their individual businesses and becoming a booking agent for several different venues has opened my eyes to the “behind the scenes” reasonings for businesses making different decisions based on sales and time of year. Supporting your local businesses also helps the arts because without venues to play for, we wouldn’t have anywhere to showcase our art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ac2NV8fYC/
• Instagram: @chris_r_92
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/chrisreedmusic123
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chrisreedmusicchannel5210
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4YLxFFtEjx1uusJoH3byJU?si=XEz0T2SmTACS-QpTCOFH_Q

Image Credits

Ashley Elizabeth Photography

https://www.instagram.com/ash.liz.photography485?igsh=MXg0eng3d2Rvc3I3eA==