søndag den 22. april 2012

'skal du ikke snart have børn?'

Når man uddanner sig som klassisk musiker tager man ikke 'bare' en uddannelse, man træder ind i en livsstil! Det er ikke til at forklare folk, der ikke selv er musikere eller fanatiske omkring deres uddannelse/job, hvad det betyder.

Jeg er nu i en alder, hvor samtlige af mine 'ikke-musiker'-venner og mine søskende for længst har købt bolig og tænker/har fået børn. Det er den samme alder, hvor jeg som kvinde er meget bevidst om, at der er en 'expiration-date' på MIT køns forplantnings-evne. Og eftersom jeg allerede som 17-årig blev bevidst om, at jeg en dag vil være nogens mor, så melder spørgsmålet om 'hvornår' sig kraftigt!

Se, som musiker- hvis man vil dette her på et professionelt plan, så er man nødt til at fokusere 100% på at dygtiggøre sig og senere hen 'sælge' sig! Man satser hele sin ungdom på, at blive dygtig nok!! Konkurrencen er så hård og uddannelsen så krævende- fysisk, psykisk, tidsmæssigt -at der ikke er plads til andet! Familie, venner, fritidsinteresser, sociale aktiviteter udenfor studie-miljøet må vige i en årerække.
-særligt hvis man vælger at tage sin uddannelse i udlandet! Der møder man ikke lige sin familie og etablerede omgangskreds til en kop kaffe mellem to gøremål.
Man kan naturligvis godt 'have et liv', det kræver bare meget arbejde... Og særligt sangere er nødt til, at få nok søvn, passe på kulde/varme-forhold, alkohol osv fordi de ikke kan lægge instrumentet derhjemme og holde fri...

Så når man som ca 20-22 årig starter sin 6-årige uddannelse, har man travlt nok. Og derefter følger en årelang 'salgskampagne', hvor man,(hvis man ikke er en af de heldige, der er blevet båret igennem af et navn, man har arvet eller der kender én godt) skal investere endnu mere tid og også penge på, at 'få et navn'. Og så er man pludseligt omkring de 29-35 år gammel, har ingen penge endnu, måske ikke fundet en partner, ingen børn osv.
For mange (særligt piger) indtræder der her en krise. 'Alle har etableret sig, og jeg leder stadig!'-krisen.

Her skal man huske på, tror jeg, at det at være musiker, er noget helt andet end at læse til tandlæge/sygeplejerske/folkeskollærer... etc. Det er en meget længere process, fordi man selv skal skabe sine Jobs, og fordi det kræver så meget tid og personlig udvikling! Vi skulle gerne kunne forstå alt det mennesker er i stand til at føle/tænke/opfatte/gøre alene og med hinanden! Det lærer man bare ikke på et par uger... Og så skal vi også lære at formidle det, så folk kan identificere sig med det! Og så skal vi også lige kende til markedsføring og finde en plads til vores egen måde at udtrykke os, i et hvirvar af stimulerede medier og underholdning.
Ingen nem opgave!

Så nej, vi -musikerne- får i reglen ikke et 'normalt' liv. Vi er nok lidt forsinkede på nogle områder, så vi skal være glade for, at vi lever i en tid, hvor 40 år er ungt, og hvor vi trods alt KAN få børn i en høj alder!

Så er det bare et spørgsmål om, at 'komme igennem nåleøjet'. -for det helt absurde er jo, at vi går alt dette her igennem og knokler og betaler prisen, UDEN GARANTI!
Jeg er én af de heldige, som nu kan leve af mit fag (så længe det varer- så længe der er bud efter mig og jeg selv finder på nye idéer, der tiltaler publikum). Men mange, og en dag også jeg, kan ikke leve af det, trods en massiv indsats!
Så hvorfor? Hvorfor satser man?

Det er nok en blanding af, at man starter før man ved, hvad det kræver... Og så at man ikke kan lade være! Det er så meget en lidenskab, at et liv uden dette 'drug' er tomt og meningsløst! Og det ER et fantastisk erhverv! For mig, er det det hele værd! Alle op/nedture, alle kriser, personlige kompromisser- det hele!

Men nu står jeg også et sted, hvor jeg kan spørge mig selv; 'hvornår skal du have børn'?

14 kommentarer:

  1. Man kan også spørge sig OM man skal - det er jo ingen selvfølge :-)

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  2. Sandt, men for mig er det en selvfölge, at jeg önsker börn ;-) Derfor disse overvejelser. Tak for din kommentar! Dejligt at märke, at nogen läser, det man skriver om! :-D

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  3. Denne kommentar er fjernet af forfatteren.

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    Svar
    1. Lige en kommentar til mit eget indslag; man maaske kan se det som, at det at kämpe for at bygge en karriere op, man kan leve af, i denne branche, det er éns "baby". Naar man lever af det**, saa er det ens job og lidenskab...? -Det kräver samme "sätten alt andet til side"-indstilling, som jeg kan forestille mig en baby gör... jeg ved det ikke! Men jeg skal nok skrive om det, naar jeg ved det ;-)

      **Tilföjelse; eller er kommet til et punkt, hvor man er tilfreds med sin livsstil og sit job!

      Slet
  4. Everything else definitely goes on the backburner once you get a kid, no doubt about it...in that sense you already have a kid. Plus it doesn't drool, poop, or rub food in its hair! :P

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    Svar
    1. (joking) well, the drool thing.. hmm... Some operasingers actually do drool while singing, including me, when it get´s dramatic... HAHAHA! So I guess it´s more or less like a baby :-P

      Thanks for commenting!

      Slet
  5. Jeg har sat en diskussion igang paa FB med dette indslag... Herligt!
    Det er dejligt at folk gör sig tanker og gerne vil tale om dette emne!

    Jeg vil gerne präcisere, at ALT jeg skriver paa denne blog, er MINE erfaringer og MINE tanker.. Det er udelukkende ting jeg skriver og offentliggör, for at andre skal kunne läre af/have gläde og gavn af det.

    Og endnu en präcisering;
    Jeg har ALDRIG menet, at livet/karrieren stopper, naar man faar börn!
    Hele humlen i dette blogindlsag er, at pröve at forklare, hvorfor saa mange kvindelige musikere/sangere kommer til denne krise! -Og DET mener jeg er fordi vi glemmer, at vi ikke kan sammenligne os med 9-17 medmennesker i samfundet...
    At man KAN faa börn som musiker, er jeg ikke i tvivl om!
    Og at mange kan faa det til at fungere, hvis de har et godt netvärk, en rig partner eller andet godt, det tvivler jeg heller ikke paa!

    Men nu er bloggen om min private situation og mine problemstillinger, som professionel sanger. Saa jeg deler hvad jeg oplever, for at andre skal erfare, at det er saadan jeg og mange andre lever...

    No offense og intet haab skal ödelägges for nogen!
    Og forresten satser jeg paa at synge videre, efter jeg har faaet börn! -Men jeg ved, at hverdagen bliver en anden, hvorfor JEG PERONLIGT har maatte udskyde MANGE ting til "efter jeg kunne leve af sangen", som er NU :-)

    Tak for alles kommentarer og tanker, det er herligt at have en levende debat :-)

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  6. D. Armannsdottir: Hear Hear! I hear you my friend! Exactly what's been going through my mind as well! You are on the right path. Keep it up and you will go far my dearest Denise! Love you :* Knús!

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  7. A. R. Laurent: I read this with interest and can recognise many of the dilemmas you line up (even though you are on a different level from mine :-)). But I have to say that I disagree with the last comment below the blog. Life does not have to stop when you have a baby. Yes, it's hard work, it's challenging and it takes up a large amount of time. But there can be space for other things. If you want there to be space and you organise yourself well. Women in other cultures and in our own in the past have never had it as a full time sole occupation to look after children. If they didn't/don't have to provide an income of some sort to help provide for their family they would have a lot of housework and chores to do in an age/place with no mod-cons such as dishwashers, washing machines/radiators/taps/hoovers/food processors/supermarkets etc. Arm yourself with friends and family, make sure the father (if there is one) participates lots, get help a few hours a day, prioritise what needs doing and what you really really want to do and it's doable to be a mother and have a life. And take your baby with you wherever you can. Get a good pram and a carrier sling and sing to your baby. They love it! Practicing, at least in shorter spells, is one of the things that I DO manage most days as Audrey thinks its fun and babbles along with me :-) so there you go, hope that cheers you up :-)

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  8. A. R. Laurent: And also just want to say that I know LOTS Of women who have "normal" jobs and educations who feel many of the same dilemmas and have also chosen to wait with starting a family. I also know lots of singers who have built up or carried on a career after they had children. So it's not an "either or".

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  9. D. Armannsdottir: These are my thoughts on the matter....Of course it's all possible if you want it to happen....career and family and friends. But if I decide to become a mother I believe that it would/should become my number one priority (that is caring for my child), because children need attention your music/singing career will most likely "suffer". It's just a question of choices in life, what the individual wants. And if I want to have children then I need to give them my time, not just hand them to nannies...I think I would feel a bit guilty having a child and then not being there for it as much as, let's say, if you'd have a more structured job like 9am-5pm job (while the kid is usually in kindergarten). If I would be on tour or singing in a different city and couldn't take my child with me because it needs to go to school and have a structured life, a balanced life, I'd probably again feel guilty. Because my love for life is music, my love for life is singing....like Denise says, it's like a drug. I love it and I sometimes hate it but I still love it. A singers life is not really balanced. We are constantly looking for jobs, especially as Denise says, when we are building our name/our brand. That can be exhausting, especially when you are pouring your heart out there and you constantly get NO...but then suddenly you get a YES, and you get motivated again and more positive....it's a constant battle. And it's not like there are a million companies out there, there might be one in the city you live in. It takes time to build up your connections and one year out because you are breast feeding could cost you those connections. Now it sounds a bit dramatic but that is Theater, it is drama! Being an opera singer is a bit like being a gypsy. If you don't have a "fixed contract" with one company, you will have to travel and that sets a strain on a "normal" family life. I come from Iceland and live in Sydney which is far away from my family and that would make it even trickier.

    But showing up for an audition with your baby on your arm or pregnant is not so "flattering" for the panel and they would most likely not consider you for the role unless you've already built up your brand name....then you could attend some rehearsals with your baby and the father/nanny/mother/helper. Of course life is much easier with all the home-appliances but time is money and kids cost money. I think I'd rather have no children than getting it years later from your child, that you were never there for them. I can say this because my mum was a stay home mum and she was absolutely wonderful in every way. Very supportive and so was my dad and they are still very supportive. I am lucky to have married a man that is very understanding of my profession and loves me for who I am. That makes my hormones all go weird and sometimes I, the person who never was gonna have kids, want kids. But then it is the question, when? It is never the right or wrong time really...but as soon as you decide it and you are lucky enough to become pregnant and give birth to a healthy child....there is no turning back....

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  10. Dénise: Stoooooop! I never said life 'ends' when you have a baby!!!! It just takes up a lot of energy you don't have, when struggling with starting a career!!! It's the other way around!

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  11. D. Armannsdottir: But my parents had four children, still my mum worked as a nurse, teacher, and then when my little brother and I were born she stayed home....but she is a writer and still managed to get two short stories published...My sister has 3 sons and 1 step son and works full time 9-5 job, studied to become a teacher while working and always looks picture perfect....so it's all possible. It's just trickier when you only have one "set" of voice and you can't go buy a new one of that one breaks ;)

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  12. My blog is NOT about telling singers, they can't have kids! That is totally twisted around the other way!
    I'm saying, that until you are in a situation you like with your job as a singer (whether it's in the MET, in the local church, the bathtub, Chemnitzer Oper or whatever), you will PROBABLY not have the time nor the energy to have a baby.

    And mostly I am trying to explain why so many musicians suffer this dilemma at or around 30! -they suddenly see what they don't have, and what people around them have!

    I congratulate you, Rebecca, for having family and a career! And as you say; it IS possible. Then again, you do say, it's necessary to get help from your family and the father! Not everybody has that opportunity! So while I'm extremely happy on your behalf, I must say, this blog was dedicated to all the hundreds and thousands of musicians, who experience this crisis! I share my thoughts, so people know they are not alone!

    And yes, it is probably a common problem for women with a career... But since I am a singer, writing on being a singer, I cannot talk for other lines of work... So no offence to everybody else, I am just talking about my life and choice of work, and want to share my experience and thought on the matter, so that others can benefit from it!!

    And I do plan on having a career after I have babies! I never said the contrary! I just said, after you've built up some kind of name, you will be able to let go of nursing your career and have more time and energy for nursing a lot of other things- including a family...

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