Working from home.

I am very privileged to be working from home. I count my blessings every day because I can get up in the mornings and sit and do admin in my Pj's until any hour I want.  It's great avoiding the early morning and late afternoon traffic, plus I don't have to answer to anyone! No boss to hither and tither me. It also means I don't have a regular income, but I got used to that and learned the hard way to plan my finances better. My first real job was using my talents as a musician, performing with bands. As a young girl I thought that was the greatest! Subsequently I worked in an attorney's office, did PA work for a broker, worked in a bank (hated it) worked at the ISCOR clinic, (loved it.) After my first baby was born, I became a gym instructor, actually did a good job, but did not enjoy it. At least it kept me toned and fit! I also worked at an auditor's firm for a while.

After a big move to a big city and another baby, I was a full time Mom and homemaker for several years before I started following one of my passions again. I worked in a designer/manufacturer jewellery shop, but could not keep it up, as my Mom in law became too unwell to assist me with my children's care. Motherhood and my husband were always top of my duty list.

Being self employed does not mean I am undisciplined, lazy etc, it simply means I choose (most of the time) when and where I want to do what it is I want to do. In fact you have to be quite organized if you work for yourself, because if something goes wrong there's no one to turn to and nobody to blame. Quite a responsibility!

I've had my fair share of answering to bosses, male and female and I often hated the way I was treated. Talking down to me, as if I'm not a person with an intelligence. Often disrespectful, or even shouting! I really only had one very sweet, kind boss back in the 1980's. (The auditor.) Only one? What a shame!

Yes, only one who treated me with respect. He would talk to me like I was a lady (as it should be in a professional environment.) No grumble over nonsense, expecting special treatment or groping and suggesting some unspeakable things! In those days (70's and 80's) you could not easily lay charges against someone for doing things like that, so it was not easy to be treated as a servant or an object!

During the 90's I had a boss who treated me well, (the jeweller) but one of his friends thought he could make unsuitable/unacceptable remarks and suggestions and the boss turned a blind eye! I cringed every time "the friend" walked through the door. The "friend" eventually started stalking me and used to park his car across behind mine so I couldn't get out of my parking without talking to him first! He didn't care that I was a respectable young married mother of two! What an idiot!

Why would I want to subject myself to such degrading treatment? I was sure that I was destined for greater things in life. It was during this time that I turned back towards my first career of choice, MUSIC, which is one of my great passions. I started creating cards and collages with a musical theme and "My Underground Attic" was born. Soon after that I became a mature student at Technikon Natal, studying of course, music! Today I am the happy owner/teacher of The Music Experience. We have also moved house. I do not have my lovely big studio anymore, but I am making the best of the smaller space in which we are living now.

I am passionate about teaching children and adults, just love to see them progress and grow towards mastering an instrument. Most of my students who choose to do exams excel and often get distinctions. Most prefer to play piano just for the sheer joy of it.