Some old-school viewers of mine might know that I had a double life once.

On one hand, I was teaching composing on YouTube, working towards my goals of going full-time.

On the other hand…

… I ran a goofy piano duet channel with my longtime collaborator and best friend, Frank Tedesco.

To celebrate the holidays, here’s a deep cut from our playlist. Enjoy

One of the most exciting things about working for yourself is the ability to control how you spend your time.

And yet often when we get that freedom, many of us either overwork ourselves or underutilize the time we allot. Distractions deter us, choices paralyze us, and we find our days ending with the thought “How did I work all day with nothing to show for it?”

This video might be a tough pill to swallow, but it's worth a watch.

Jacques is an ex-media composer who outlines what prompted him to leave the industry.

I wish I could tell you that these problems don't exist, but they do--I've seen and experienced many of them first-hand:

So here’s my take.

As much as you might want this career, don't want it so badly that you overlook red flags....

2 months ago, I had dug myself into a hole.

In my eagerness to take on as much composing work as possible, I found myself:

• Working 40+ hours a week
• Accepting low pay, high revision work
• Accepting uncredited jobs just to be part of high-profile projects

I’ll be honest… I felt lost.

“Isn’t this what I wanted? Don’t I want to compose...

I'm currently enrolled in one of the coolest courses ever.

It's called "How to Work Less", designed by Richard Webster, a designer and entrepreneur with a mission: to teach creatives how to spend less time, make more profit, and earn more freedom.

One of my favorite things I've learned so far (and implemented) is the "Not To Do List".

Here's how it works:

1. Pick 5 things...