Folks would listen to me jam at home and ask me if I was professional. Lived in some nice pads in Venice and Malibu with a room full of nice instruments. I'd laugh and say I'm better than professional. When you hear me playing it's because I want to, not because I have to be on stage for a gig at X hours and play for Y minutes to earn a paycheck. If I'm not in the mood I don't play. And sometimes the magic doesn't happen, the rare day when I can't fall into the zone of effortless mastery and pure joy, and I walk away. Unhappy, but I say no reason to force things, the zone will be there the next time.
You pointed out another major point that most folks just don't understand.
I think people underrated how nice it is to be a musician with a day job. You can focus on your art without the financial pressures.
Folks would listen to me jam at home and ask me if I was professional. Lived in some nice pads in Venice and Malibu with a room full of nice instruments. I'd laugh and say I'm better than professional. When you hear me playing it's because I want to, not because I have to be on stage for a gig at X hours and play for Y minutes to earn a paycheck. If I'm not in the mood I don't play. And sometimes the magic doesn't happen, the rare day when I can't fall into the zone of effortless mastery and pure joy, and I walk away. Unhappy, but I say no reason to force things, the zone will be there the next time.
You pointed out another major point that most folks just don't understand.
As Robert Fripp says: the concern of the musician is music. The concern of the professional musician is business.