My gig was delayed by an hour but luckily I got the message before I left. I really wanted to wear something other than the white dress this time, probably because I just wore it last night and it just feels so repetitive, but I was strongly encouraged to wear the dress everyone expects. I was even told I couldn't modify the cards to have one person's name on each, I had to keep it exactly as they wrote it which included both names in the message. I compromised by doing a little pre-gig photo shoot with a different dress and earrings and styling my hair a bit differently (more like when she sang Happy Birthday to JFK, can't wait to commission that dress once I reach my goal!).
It was supposed to be a double birthday party in a sports bar in Scottsdale, but as I was walked in, a lady said, "I'm out," and left with her husband. When it became obvious that he wasn't coming back, I proceeded to sing to the man who remained. He was very sweet! It was so loud though that I lost track of where I was and dropped the second half of the first verse of one of my songs. I explained that he was too handsome and I forgot my lines and jumped back in when I could.
It must have gone well though because as I was leaving, someone chased me outside and asked for a business card. He said what I did was phenomenal and wanted to know more about what I offered. Hopefully I'll be hearing from him soon!
I finally filed my taxes and not surprisingly, made a huge loss in 2020. That's the second year in a row so I need to get serious about bringing in more income with my Marilyn business or the IRS will classify it as a hobby and I won't be able to deduct any expenses which would be devastating. I would like to begin offering virtual telegrams which I think will be a great last-minute surprise gift for someone who has everything. Most of my gigs are booked the day before, so the last-minute crowd is the one I need to target! I've been seeing some friends and colleagues offering video messages through various services so I will look into that as well.
If gigs keep getting booked with this frequency, I'll need to go back to touching up my hair every four weeks! I'm glad things are picking up and I hope it points to a bright future. ♥