Self employed living

When I started doing music sessions back in 2020, during lockdown, I never thought it would lead to this being my ‘actual’ job.

At the time I had just about finished my honours and not quite started my postgrad, I was working as a support worker in a day centre for adults with learning disabilities and/or complex needs.

When lockdown hit, the day centre closed and only a fraction of individuals were being seen face to face. I noticed the impact that this had on the people I supported and decided to start offering video call music sessions.

When the lockdown began to ease I began seeing people in person and gained more clients. I cut down my work at the day centre and began running breaking sound barriers too alongside a colleague at Nomad Beat in Peebles.

3 years ago I met the amazing Jane from the Harris Trust and suddenly I was one step closer to music being my living. I left the day centre and took on an evening care job to ensure all the bills etc were paid.

But what started as 1 school became 2 and it grew and grew until now the number is 12 with even more pupils.

I was also asked to take on the role of tutor at Merlin School of Traditional Music back in November which I am thoroughly enjoying and about to get started again at Nomad Beat after a 2 year break.

The actual work is the fun bit but there are other bits that are a little less fun.

As a chronically ill girly not having sick pay is pretty stressful and leads me to work even when my body is screaming for rest.

It took me a long time to stop worrying about all of my clients and pupils leaving at once leaving me with no work. My mum particularly helped with getting over this by telling me “you would just get another job” which for some reason I forgot was even an option?!

The tax returns are particularly boring and time consuming but with that being said the positives massively outweigh the negatives.

I am so grateful that this is my job; being self employed has given me the freedom to create a role that I love and can continue to grow and shape, something that I am not sure I would’ve found if I had taken a different path.

So all in all, I wouldn’t have it any other way

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