Ego, too much or too little can be equally damaging.  Something I posted as a Facebook comment in response to a comment that was made by  a musician claiming that his work was being taken away by non-professionals. In truth it dosent work like that and it never has.

I have been playing since I was 15 (keyboards , violin, guitar and stuff). My first paid gig though was at the age of about 48 having played for years but having had day jobs many and various. For about 15 years I supported myself with income from gigs averaging about 130 a year. Many were pubs with a few notable exceptions so HMRC think I was a professional musician, though i think they have paid me more in tax refunds than I have ever paid them in the last few years.

My last paid gig was in February this year and due to a combination of Covid-19s effects and the loss of a my long term musical partner who I had been working with since 2004 I am now by circumstance back to being a part-timer or almost no timer.

I still occasionally make some money from music from time to time from PPL and PRS and have even had some paid recording session project work.

I hope to get back out there post Covid but its unlikely to be some thing I personally can make a living from again.

The reason that I got into music was to be creative and to have fun and it has also provided me with a social life I might not otherwise have had. At present though I am mostly stuck at home recording, writing , practicing to keep my technique together.

So perhaps now I am again a hobbyist? That’s OK. Its just another label really.

if I was offered a gig tomorrow I dont think it would be taking anyone else’s work.