How to be a FT Pharmacy Manager AND a FT singing/songwriting artist?

To be honest I am still figuring this out. You're all probably expecting the cliché answers that contain hard work, impeccable work ethic, drive etc etc. and as much as these are all part of the “how-to’s” I am struggling to find the golden answer. But what I can tell you is that IT IS POSSIBLE because I am doing it RIGHT NOW!

"How do I balance being a full time pharmacy manager and solo singer-songwriter? How do I have the time? Do you have a team supporting you? Aren’t you exhausted all the time? Do you even sleep?"

I took over as “acting” manager May 2016 when my manager at the time unfortunately had health issues that warranted a medical leave of absence. Funny thing was, I promised myself that I would never ever in my life become a pharmacy manager because quite honestly, it is not worth it. Under the circumstances, I kinda had no choice and reluctantly took over. January 7, 2017 I was sworn in as permanent manager. What the heck was I thinking!? It’s a lot of work, paper work really, and people managing but I am very lucky because my Capilano team is amazing!! I have their backs and they have mine.

My work schedule looks like this: Walmart pharmacy is open from 7am to 11pm, 7 days a week even on stat holidays except on Christmas day. There are two shifts for the pharmacists – either a 7am to 3pm shift or 3pm-11pm shift with no breaks. I work Monday to the following Monday (8 shifts!) with Tuesday/Wednesday off, then restart Thursday continuous to the following Wednesday (7 shifts!) followed by 4 days off from Thursday to Sunday, then the cycle restarts. My pharmacy is considered one of the busier locations and commonly we are a tornado and battlefield. On those days, I immediately collapse after work and don’t feel like doing anything except watch Modern Family, This is Us (OMG if you haven’t watched this show yet, you HAVE TO!), and the occasional Netflix and eat. At times I will miss out on open mics or shows because I am working night shifts.

How do I have time for creativity? Creativity requires a lot of energy! I admit, this pharmacy thing sucks the life out of me especially now that I’m manager. It is very easy for me to say, “I just don’t have the time”. But what I learned is that if you LOVE something, YOU WILL MAKE THE TIME no matter how busy and exhausted you are. And that is what I am doing. Now that I have the financial means to support my dream, now that I am learning to conquer my fears and doubts I am pushing myself in all things music. My co-workers are amazing not only because they support me in my music endeavours but also because they understand that if I need to switch a night for a day shift because I got a gig to play that evening, they will do so without hesitation!

I made a rule: if I commit to a gig I am forbidden to back out of it. There have been a few close calls when I’ve signed up for an open mic 1-2 weeks prior but couldn’t foresee a grueling shift the day of and the last thing I wanted to do was to pack my keyboard, stand, and seat and try to hit a solid performance. But that was what I did! I napped for 45 minutes, told myself to go and I went and sang my heart out and was I ever happy that I did!

I am sure you have heard the phrase; "if you do what you love you will never work a day in your life". This is what I'm working towards. You see my current circumstance calls for my job as a pharmacist – don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy my work and I love the people I work with and my patients but I HATE the hours/shifts (and we are understaffed!!) Initially I was angry as pharmacy manager because I viewed it as a position with more responsibilities and bull-sh*t with added stress that I did not sign up for. I kept wondering "when can I quit this job?" But the mature and always learning side of me changed my mind set. I now see it as a challenge, as an experience and I'm actually a pretty bad-ass manager – go me! I can use this experience, my manager demeanor (apparently I can be intimidating – me?! No way! I am sooo nice!) and apply this to other situations, let’s say in the near future, when I develop and need to manage my own team behind my music career and get things done (now I'm just day dreaming away...). So no, I currently don’t have an official team behind me but I’ve made lots of CONNECTIONS (get yours on ITUNES and Spotify) and I have amazing friends who have helped me along the way. Being a pharmacist also pays for my projects and allows me to be self-sufficient financially. I’m not established enough to qualify for music grants but that's what 2017 is for - the start of self promotion of my music, myself as a musician, and building my musical credibility in order to construct a larger fan base! So I can’t really quit this job.....yet!

One hour of creativity goes a long way. On a grueling 7-3 work day, I’ll come home, take a shower, nap till 530pm sometimes, eat dinner, watch Modern Family from 7-8pm, then I will set aside 8-11pm (unless The Amazing Race is on!) for creativity and practice. Even now, I’m writing this blog at 11:30pm and I am not even tired because I am enjoying writing this blog for you guys.

So the answer really is – if you know what you want, you know what your end goal(s) is (are), if you love it and it makes you happy and it gives you that warm fuzzy feeling inside, you WILL make time. You WILL put in the effort and hard work. There will be moments when it may seem like you're not going anywhere or it may even seem like you’ve taken a few step backwards but for me, I am starting to notice that if I keep doing me, and if I keep putting myself out there, people will start to notice. (I think it’s also because I’m the only Asian R&B/Neo soul piano singer-songwriter that I stand out like a sore thumb) But seriously, people are starting to dig my songs, me as a person and as an artist and there is nothing more gratifying and self-fulfilling than that. It is a lot of hard work in my job as a pharmacist but twice as hard to make my music career. I am exhausted, I am frustrated, but I am motivated by happiness and love the inspiration, positivity, encouragement and connections that I make through my art. That’s my life’s goal! This is just the beginning for me and I am excited to see where I will end up. By the way, have you gotten your “Connections” yet?!