187. How To Be A Touring Musician And A Mother

There’s a common belief out there that being a mom means you have to put your dreams on hold. A belief that you should prioritize your family over everything else. And when your dream is to be a touring musician, well, that can make following your dreams feel completely out of reach, especially if you have young children. We hear things like: I get it. It’s easy to fall into that belief and give up on our dreams because that’s what society tells us. But if your kids are truly your #1 priority, wouldn’t you want to be the role model who follows their passion. Society doesn’t tell you that. Why don’t they tell you to be the role model who shows their kids that anything is possible? And how much better of a mother do you think you’ll be if you’re filled with passion every single day. Instead of pulling your dreams aside, your children get to go on the journey with you. They’ll get to see first hand what it looks like to fulfill your life’s purpose. And yes, I understand there are mothers out there whose passion is being a mother. It’s mine too, but my passion doesn’t stop there. This isn’t for them. This is for the female musician who is sick and tired of putting her dreams aside and is ready to realize she can be an amazing mother, wife and touring musician all at the same time. I’m not going to tell you that juggling all these identities is easy, because it is not. But it most certainly is possible. It just might look a little different from the traditional touring musician’s path. I started my music career as a mother of a 2 year old. I released my first album and did several mini tours of California during her preschool years.  Instead of leaving her home with a babysitter, I brought one along – my own mom. Not only did my daughter get to spend quality time with Grandma, she got to watch me following my dreams, living out my purpose and sharing my music and stories with people who were excited to hear them.  Instead of bars and venues inappropriate for children, my tours included lots of women’s groups, community organizations, senior groups, fundraisers, large coffee houses, churches and outdoor festivals. Sometimes my daughter even got to participate by helping setup the merch table. Even at 4, she had a great eye for how the table should look.  Working at the merch table allowed her to be involved in my work and to see me interacting with my fans and hear how they were moved my vulnerability in my music and my stories. It showed her the impact you can have when you follow your dreams and live out your purpose. It taught her that a traditional career isn’t the only option and that when she’s a mom, she can be a great mom and continue to follow her dreams too. So if you’ve been putting your music career on hold because you think being a mom means giving up your music dream, I want to show you how you can do both. I map it out in my free workshop at www.musiciansprofitpath.com. If you’re ready to stop putting your music career on hold – Register for the free workshop now. And to hear an interview with a musician mom who was also a touring musician check out my interview with Rebecca Hollweg.