The Unexpected Life of a Self-Employed Musician

People think being a musician is about playing. About talent. Inspiration.

And yes — those are part of it. But they don't see the 90% that happens when no one is watching!

Some things you'd expect: hours of practice, recording sessions, editing late at night...

And then there are things that are completely unexpected!

A Wood Workshop?

A wood workshop, it's not exactly the place where you'd expect to find a classical guitarist.

But here's the thing — I've spent a lot of time here in the past few years. This is where we build everything we need for the music, the studio, the projects.

And when I say "we", it's because I'm not alone.

This is Stefano, my partner in crime, he is almost always behind everything I do. He does many things, but above all, he writes beautiful music, music that changed everything for me!

But I'll get to that.

A Very Big Day

The day I filmed this video was a big day. We were starting to build, from raw wood, something very important for a new project and new music.

What were we building? What's the project?

I wasn't ready to tell yet. But let me just say — it's something I had been dreaming about for a very long time.

To explain how I got there, I need to go back a bit.

Mediterraneo — And What Came After

Three years ago, I released Mediterraneo — an album dedicated to Sicily and to my roots.

It was a beautiful experience. I poured everything into it, because I had dreamed for a long time of bringing together all that beautiful music composed by Stefano that was still unpublished and unknown.

But once Mediterraneo was released... I felt lost.

I had no clear direction. I started questioning my artistic identity. And you know what? I think that's dangerous territory. When you force your being an artist into something too rational — it stops making sense.

So I tried different things. Electric guitar. Acoustic guitar. Singing.

Nice, but nothing really clicked.

And at some point... I just stopped.

The Discovery

And then one day, while I was sitting at my desk planning lessons and writing to my students, I heard something coming from Stefano's studio — something I couldn't ignore.

I asked him what it was, and when he played me his idea, it was unexpectedly wonderful. It stayed in my head for days, and I knew right away that I had to bring that idea to life.

But there was one problem — this music wasn't meant for two people. We needed someone else, a third person.

The Third Person

Finding someone to truly collaborate with is one of the hardest things about being a musician. You need someone with the same wavelength, the same passion, the same availability — and even if that sounds simple, trust me, it's incredibly rare.

But when this idea started to take shape in my head, I thought of an old friend.

We met eight years ago, when I was studying in Mantova for a brief period. She was this girl from Brescia — one of the very few people I really connected with during that time. You know how it is: you meet hundreds of people, but only a few actually stay with you. She was one of them.

Then life happened. I moved to Brussels, years passed, and we lost touch. Different countries, different paths.

And then, somehow, I ended up moving near Brescia, of all places. We found each other again, and when this project needed a third person, she was the first one I thought of.

The Mission

I've been dreaming about something like this for years. Ever since I was a kid, I've felt this duty — to share the beauty of the classical guitar throughout the world.

Here's the paradox: the guitar is one of the most common instruments. But not everyone knows the hidden beauty of nylon strings.

I strongly believe the only way to change that is to put the guitar in an ensemble. Not in a corner playing an arpeggio in the background — but right at the center, where it should be.

So yes, my new project is a trio!!

What We Built

The keyboard stand we had was uncomfortable. And honestly, kind of ugly.

Stefano made one before, but it was designed to face the wall. That doesn't work anymore — we're three now. We need to see each other.

So we decided to build a new one. Custom made. We chose the wood, the color, the shape — everything exactly the way we wanted.

What's Next

I want to share this journey with you. Not just the finished music, but everything behind the scenes — the process, the experiments, the doubts.

I want this channel to be a place where you see what being a musician really means.

I know it's going to be hard. But I'll do my best.

And if this resonates with you — write to me. If you're starting something new, a new path, reinventing yourself... I'd love to hear your story!

A lot of new videos are coming. Stay tuned! Warmly, Roberta