I just graduated from high school and I tried to get a job for the summer. Turns out I didn't look hard enough, and I realized that there weren't a whole lot of places left for me to apply to, and I decided that this summer I was not going to get a traditional job. I didn't need to get a "real" job, I figured, because I have skills. Marketable ones, at that. So every day, or at least most days, I go out with my violin, set my case down on some corner, and play for a few hours. I didn't know what to expect (and, to be honest, still don't), but what I've found so far has been an amazing experience. The pay is unpredictable at best, but at least I can get some sun and do what I love, and maybe even make people happy. Plus, I'm basically advertising that I'm a musician looking for work, and I can maybe get some jobs out of it.

Every so often, somebody will give me a suggestion for improving my playing (or improving how I do my "business"). Today, I got a few pieces of advice: slow down, savor the notes, play what people know. I've heard all of this before, but it's always nice to get feedback from people. One person, though, told me to do something that I had never even thought of, that had never been suggested to me. Her advice was to start a blog. "Everyone loves to hear about how other people's lives are going - start a blog! Maybe you'll even get more money that way!"

Maybe.

So here I am. There are niche blogs for just about everything, but this is the first time that I've ever seen a blog dedicated to talking about playing music out on the street. It makes sense, though; every day, something interesting happens. I'll meet interesting people, or see something happen, or just notice something that I hadn't noticed before. I can't make any promises about how often or well I'll keep this thing up, but I'll try. We'll just have to see what happens.