One of the best ways to ruin the pleasure you get out of something is to start getting paid to do it. Or so I found.

Well, I like getting paid, but it is far from the most important aspect of playing music. Some years ago I was playing three or four gigs a week and was poised to quit my day job. I decided not to do so after watching my friends play music they didn't really like and take any crappy $25 gig in order to put food on the table. As my partner said, "Why should we give up jobs we like in order to be poverty-stricken playing music we don't like?" It means playing less music than I like less well than I like, but I also get to choose my gigs and not compromise my artistic sensibilities. And I have health insurance and can afford to take the cat to the vet when necessary.