I don't quite know if this is the place to post this but it seems like a good portion of forumers here can relate to how I feel and I really want to talk to some of you.. please be kind

For the past 12 years, music has been my profession. I started out mostly teaching and eventually transitioned to live performances / busking for my main source of income. I've been learning music since 12 and poured so much of my lifeblood into this endeavour foolishly believing that just making good music is good enough. Prior to this, I've served in the military, held corporate positions and other miscellany that made me miserable and music always felt like a calling in life. The path hasn't been smooth in the least (which I'm sure some of you guys know) but nothing comes close to what working-class musicians have faced in the last year due to COVID-19.

It's been 10+ months without an income for me and my landlord (a close friend of mine) has been gracious enough to waive the last 6 months of rental and I'm beyond thankful! Since then, I've tried uploading weekly recordings to YouTube, selling tracks on Bandcamp, picking up online music commissions whenever something is available but it's simply just not financially viable. Musicians these days are expected to know video editing, marketing, search engine optimisation, audio mixing, social media, basically whoring yourself to the fullest except just making music and it's so draining just trying to keep up on every front. The only music companies in my country hiring now are classical conglomerates like Yamaha with minimum requirements of Grade 8 in ABRSM instrumental certifications which I do not have.