When you’ve been going back and forth about your next big life move for days, and you finally come to a decision, there’s an immediate sense of relief and invigoration. “Ahh, now I’ve made the decision!” You think. “Everything will fall into place!”
But not long afterward you realize the decision is only the beginning of the battle. There’s a long list of logistics to slog through on the path to making your dream a reality.
Moving to Ocean City
So it was with my decision to move to Ocean City to pursue music for the summer. On my initial 4 hour drive up from Northern Virginia, I blasted my favorite playlists, drank in the summer air, and pre-reminisced about all the things that might happen this summer. However, soon after arriving, reality crashed down, and I realized there was still a lot of legwork to be done.
Where was I going to live? Did I really expect to survive on income from music alone? Should I get another job? I don’t have any connections in this town…
I was fortunate enough to use my parents’ beach condo as a base of operations for the first two weeks to get set up. I’m thankful for that, and I recognize though it may knock my perceived bohemian lifestyle down a notch, this summer wouldn’t be possible without it.
Job + Housing Search
I searched for jobs and rooms for a week or so, finding that in the first week of June, most of the seasonal residents of this city had already locked down jobs and places to live. I was on the tail end of the wave.
I ended up taking a job as a server at a restaurant that was just reopening under new management (I’ll keep it anonymous). The benefit here was that there was a spare condo unit above the restaurant where I could share a room with another server. This solved both my problems at once! I was optimistic.
It was definitely rough around the edges, but I figured I could sacrifice anything as long as I could play music. Well, that resolve started to fade quickly. I found out that I have my limits 😛 I think any reasonable person would.
The lowdown: The room I moved into was one of many on a shared floor, where the kitchen staff from the restaurant lived. There was no AC, wifi, or lock on my personal door. I couldn’t park on the block. When I arrived, the whole place was littered with broken furniture, bed frames, and miscellaneous junk leftover from the previous summers’ inhabitants. The bottom drawer of the refrigerator was filled to the brim with some type of black mold soupy water.
Here are a few pictures –
Not ideal. Not insurmountable, but not ideal. To a home remodeler this probably would be a cinch, but I wasn’t looking for a project like this. I just wanted a simple, secure place to rest and store my music equipment.
My roommate and fellow server did our best to clean it up and buy some new furnishings, but since we were only going to be here for a summer, our enthusiasm started to wane. Our contact person for all things housing-related was also the restaurant owner, who was much more preoccupied with getting the restaurant off the ground. Our living situation did not seem to be a priority.
Changing It Up
So, I moved out, and now I’m happy to say I’m renting a room in a nice family’s home in Ocean Pines, a community on the mainland of Maryland, right across the bay from Ocean City. It’s much more comfortable and functional 🙂 I now have the basic amenities of locks, AC, and wifi. Plus, it’s only $100 a month more expensive than the other place was.
So, definitely an improvement in the housing situation!
On the work front – my initial goal in taking the job I did was to work the lunch shift and get out in time to go busk in the evening whenever I chose. Well, it turned out that the restaurant didn’t open until 4 on the weekdays, and during the weekends the only busy time was dinner.
So, I found myself with few evenings to spare. I decided to leave that job as well so I could have more time in the evenings for music. After all, that was my whole purpose in coming up here.
Writing this out, I regret not leaving sooner than I did, but the situation was kind of tangled because it was also where I was living, and I didn’t know if I would be able to find another place. It’s interesting to observe the role of inertia in my life – even though the evening server gig wasn’t what I had wanted, part of me just wanted to acquiesce and ride out the summer, rather than work to improve my situation. Having money in my hand at the end of every night was definitely a factor in that. But, it was often less than I could make on an average night busking.
Looking Ahead
Now I’ve set up a different part time job, working at a hotel restaurant for breakfast and lunch. The hours will be 6 am – 2 pm, so definitely an adjustment there xP It will limit how late I can stay out busking.
But, I’m looking at it as another opportunity to challenge myself and improve. I’ve always wanted to kick my sleeping-late habit and become more of a morning person, so now’s my chance 😛 And all my evenings will be free to pursue music however I like.
Now I’m about a month in to the summer, and finally getting my situation settled the way I had envisioned. My goal in writing this post is to point out how unexpected obstacles will always come in the pursuit of your goals. Other easier situations may present themselves and tempt you into complacency. So don’t let your goals fade away in your mind! When you’re doing something unconventional, that not many others around you are doing, it can be tough to remained focused.
As for me, I’m still pressing onward in the Summer of Busk, and I encourage you to do the same for your goals!