Can I Survive The Expensive Silicon Valley Being A Musician/cook?!

[Darrick]

"San Jose has become one of THE most expensive places to live not only in California, but in the entire Nation  IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!  "   

Hello world & hello fellow enlightenment seekers  My name is Darrick, 27 from South Bay Silicon Valley (Bay Area Northern California).

Born and raised in the Bay Area my grandparents and parents both watched as the Silicon Valley Computer BOOM took over.

   Home prices here have skyrocketed, roads became congested & clogged with traffic, cities & towns became over populated & poorer to middle class families were pushed out of their residences. But i myself was just a child growing WITH the boom. 

  None of my family really got a job or position in the technological world that the Silicon Valley has become know for. Before, it was a large farming & fruit growing community. YouTube, Twitter, FaceBook and many other social media sites have now made the Bay Area and Silicon Valley their home.

  Now there are some advantages and some major disadvantages to living here.  BUT, i'm not gonna get into all of that.

  My main concern is that my home since birth, the BEAUTIFUL, sunny and serene San Jose has become one of THE most expensive places to live not only in California, but in the entire Nation  IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!  

  Now i know what my passions are, i know what i truly love & am good really good at!! MUSIC and COOKING!!! 

  I've created albums and made some pretty decent $money$ from sales & performances! I am very proud of the music i create. And have had numerous cooking jobs which are pretty fun and pay pretty well. But NOTHING close to enough money i'd need to live comfortably in even a small 1,000 sq.foot one story home and it's pretty sad  

  Either i start GRINDING my butt off creating music that I KNOW will sell & get a good cooking job or CREATE MY OWN way to sell my own dishes or get the heck out! That's it!!! Gotta keeping working at this EVERY DAY!!! Thanks, Darrick

[How to be wise]

I would say, start a business which sells music? Leo's book list has a lot of books on making a successful business based on your art (music), and also he has a lot of books on money, and how to change your money. You have to believe that it's possible for you to make a million dollar company based on making your music which you enjoy doing. You can stay in your childhood area if you want to, and with a million dollar company at your fingertips, the bills won't be a problem for you. BUT..., staying comfortable in one area for your whole life isn't what you want to be doing. An ideal life could be where you travel the world, grow yourself and your talent in music, and also let the world taste your gifts in music. Point is, don't narrow yourself down. Make sure you aim to live the ideal life that YOU want to live, whatever it maybe. Probably you should check out Leo's life purpose course and book list for a guide on how you can go about doing it. Good luck!

[J]

On 1/1/2017 at 10:23 PM, Darrick said:

 

  I've created albums and made some pretty decent $money$ from sales & performances! I am very proud of the music i create. And have had numerous cooking jobs which are pretty fun and pay pretty well. But NOTHING close to enough money i'd need to live comfortably in even a small 1,000 sq.foot one story home and it's pretty sad  

 

 

I'd also somewhat agree with How to be wise's idea of having a secondary business along side your either cooking or music. You'll have to build capital before you peruse something risky as the music business/cooking etc..  After gaining that cash you can then shift your  dreams into full gear. Making that push would take strategic thinking and good observations skill. Realize that the market may want something different from what you want to create.   

Funny enough, I am also considering going to do music (guitarist) or astronomy (in a university or my own private research firm).  Note these aren't exactly my life purpose(s), just some ideas I thought up. 

BTW Darrick, what kind of music do you produce? Just interested...

 

- J

[Darrick]

16 hours ago, Thinh said:

That's great. Congratulation, man. Hope you could achieve your dream.

@How to be wise Thank you for your wise words and you definitely have some great insight for the bigger picture! I have been watching Leo's videos and plan on reading his books. I'd love to travel the world with a good amount of money & music that i'm proud to share and help affect peoples lives in a positive, real "human to human" way!! The main reason i'd like to come back to my childhood area is because of family that is still here BUT would also like to get another home for myself elsewhere!! (maybe a few hours away  hehe) 

  I've received checks, online transactions & cash money for my music (rock, hip hop & inspiration spoken word) but the impact on the listeners who appreciate my music is the major reward for me!! It's a journey and i am working hard at it EVERY DAY!!! Just before reading and responding to your message i sent 10 pictures to an artist who is going to photoshop an album cover for me!!

  The goals ARE attainable, the dreams BECOME reality and i do believe.. thanks again so much, mean the world to me!!

[Darrick]

@J Strategic thinking and good observations skill is what i am working on as well as creating my cooking and musical skills every day!! I love both equally and can definitely balance them both out since music & food go together!! Thanks for responding because it really helps and keeps me focused!!

So i am into MANY types of music! 

I am a drummer in my band Scala & we've played numerous paid gigs & have toured up to Seattle, WA area. (Maybe start a drum lesson bussiness  )

On a more personal poetry level i go by Demise, a hip hop artist who creates the beats and writes/talks about life, self awareness, depression, family, deaths, poverty, good times, and am evolving into a better lyricist who's gonna be making better more positive messages  

Plus i've sold some beats to other lyricists and can definitely sell a lot more!! (All professional quality no bs)

With my 1st hip hop album complete & selling 150 copies by word of mouth alone, performing over 45 live shows, spreading the Demise name around locally, nationally & now internationally (with the help of social media  ) my next project will sell MORE!! 

But i want to impact peoples lives in a positive way because in all honesty that is what matters most!!

Thanks again and your response means a lot to me!! 

[Leo Gura]

@Darrick I would definitely NOT start a new business in California.

California is WAY too overpriced, and state income taxes suck.

Start-ups need to be lean and agile. There's a reason why Steve Jobs started his start-up in a garage and Bill Gates started Microsoft in New Mexico, not Seattle. You gotta be economical as a start-up.

I started my first business in Fort Worth, one of the best-value real-estate markets in the country at the time. It would have been stupid of me to stay in Boston. So the very first thing I did was relocate.

As an indie musician, you should be excited to get the hell out of Silicon Valley and live somewhere dirt cheap. Your main focus should be your WORK, not your place of residence.

After you're successful, you can live wherever you want.

And, BTW, there are much nicer places to live than California for 1/5th the cost. California is overcrowded and overrated.

Be more flexible and creative as you pursue your life purpose, otherwise, you'll get stuck real quick.

And, BTW, living in different cities is a huge catalyst for self-actualization. It pushes your comfort zone. Never stay in one city for more than 5 years at your age.

Check out places like Vegas, Dallas/FW, Austin, Oregon, etc. Consider even moving to a 3rd world country for a while, like Bali or the Philippines or Costa Rica. A lot of business can be done online these days, and your main focus should be on honing your craft -- mastery even more so than business.

[Darrick]

@Leo Gura Wow, you are right.. California IS way too over priced! My grandparents got the heck out of dodge and moved to Fernley (by Reno) Nevada and are saving sooo much more money!!  (love em)!!

Hahaha, honestly this sucks because i love the Silicon Valley but have only lived as far as Sacramento area (2 hours away)  so maybe i SHOULD pack up and move somewhere else. 

Thank you so much for replying to my post Leo, this means a lot to me!! I've been watching your videos for the past 4 months routinely & have been working hard EVERY DAY at my passions & self awareness!  

[Darrick]

@Leo Gura I will definitely look into places like Nevada, Texas and would LOVE to travel around 3rd world countries (Thailand or Vietnam in particular)

Also, i LOVE getting out of my comfort zone  Like you said it's a huge catalyst for self actualization!! And i do NOT want to get stuck.

Want to keep growing both in business and in self actualization!! Thanks again Leo!!