I had a lovely busy relaxing day yesterday and this morning my batteries feel recharged again.  Good job as I have a long to do list to set me up for next week's busyness.  

As I take stock this morning ahead of my harp week, I still can't quite believe my success or failure as a harpist depends on my networking skills and my ability to appear high up on search engines!  My new website has been up and running for 9 months or so (so it's already old I suppose) and it's only this week that I started appearing in the godmother of all search engines.  I am guessing that's down to blogging?  So I'm going to keep going with that as I do like to express myself through the written word.  

I don't like game playing and often that's what this business feels like.  In my research I noticed several harpists whose names came up first.  At the risk of sounding unprofessional, I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.  Yet they have keenly honed marketing skills and I can see how easy it would be to fall for them.  Unless people meet me, hear me and see me play, I don't think I stand a chance.

I have decided I'm not willing to pay to play at wedding fairs for the time being.  Considering my wedding and background music fees and following my experience at recent fairs, the return just isn't worth it at the moment and, truth be told, I feel slightly resentful about paying to go to work on top of travelling time and expenses.  I always get positive reactions from prospective clients and suppliers when I play at fairs, so come on organisers - invite your skilled and highly trained musicians to give your fair a touch of class with beautiful live music, and maybe even consider paying their travelling costs!  I feel comfortable that my prices are fair and affordable for the high quality level of service I offer - if you book me you get 100% (probably more actually!) and I only do one wedding a day - I would self-destruct if I did more than one job!  I'm happy to invest in my business if it leads to more harp work for me, and that's a challenge.  It's about knowing my worth, keeping my integrity and sticking to my guns, and eventually the right doors will open if they're meant to.

I am now comfortably nestled in my attic as I type this post, and yesterday I heard a cuckoo in the woods nearby.  As I looked up just now, a duck flew busily overhead.  After a draining week, I faithfully did my Pilates last night and finally my exercise routine is paying off.  I felt stronger in my core and legs for the first time ever.  Being in this space again and imagining my bathtub under the stars fills me with excitement and hope, and I plan to resume my blissful bedroom project before I need a stair lift!!!  Right, I'm off to bake a cake.  It's my French landlady's recipe and is the most amazing cake - it's like eating a cloud...