I am a Singer Songwriter

My name is Steven Lee Douglas and I am a singer-songwriter. Before becoming a singer-songwriter I worked in the newspaper media business for large companies like Tribune Publishing in Chicago and the Los Angeles Times. It would be cool to tell you that I was a reporter but as you read this blog you will realize, that is not the case. l worked on the production and business side of putting out a newspaper. I lost my job in 2018 with the downsizing of newspapers and after 36 years in the business I was left to ponder what to do next.

The first question I asked myself was, should I jump back into the newspaper business. With my experience and newspaper connections, that was a real possibility. One opportunity was in Texas, should I make that move? The other thought was to find a professional job near my home in Los Angeles or Orange County and start all over in a new career. As I pondered and prayed about my next move, the thought came to me to become a singer-songwriter. I love music and singing, and I have been in several bands. But then other voices kept telling me, be realistic, you are an old man, you need money now, you are not a songwriter, that’s only a dream. I asked a few people about my singer-song writer idea and some said I was crazy. You have a master’s degree in Executive Management, and you want to do what?

In the end and with the support of my wife, I decided to follow my dream and become a singer-songwriter (a music artist, composer, lyricist, vocalist, an instrumentalist). However, the reality of needing money in the short term was still an issue, so I decided I would work part time while setting up my new business. My search for a part time job was a little more difficult than I thought. One idea was to become a school bus driver. School bus drivers have split shifts working early mornings and late afternoons leaving time in the middle of the day to write songs. However, after doing some training, I decided bus driving was not the solution for me.

After a long search I found the perfect part time job that fit my situation. Last year I started driving for Uber and Lyft. It works for me because I can set my own hours and promote and play my songs for interested customers as I give them rides. Of course, with the corona virus, I decided to stop driving until things clear up.

Now it’s obvious that I’m new at blog writing so I’ll be looking for help from my Facebook friends and other songwriters to help me get this blog going. The background information provided above will give you some insight into who I am and what I am doing. The first questions for this blog are as follows: Was it too late in the game for someone one like me to become a good singer songwriter? Is this just a crazy dream? Do you have any thoughts or advice on the topic to help a new singer-songwriter? Tell me what you think good or bad, I can take it, just keep it clean.