If I had to describe myself professionally I would say that I'm a guitar teacher who also plays music at weddings and other functions. It's a simple statement that leaves out a few things. I conduct our little church choir, I've written "how-to" books, composed film music, etc. But these are pretty minor events compared to my daily activities.
I used to feel a bit funny about being a wedding musician. My idea of a working musician included playing in smokey clubs until the wee hours of the morning. Or writing and recording cutting edge tunes. Later, as I became more involved with classical music, my self-image involved a tuxedo and an auditorium filled with attentive people.
One of my uncomfortable life lessons is that these are not who I am. And being a wedding/event musician is a good and honorable thing. A few things have reinforced that for me in recent years. I watched a reality TV episode where Gene Simmons of KISS married his long time girl friend. The wedding band was playing old standards not the rock and roll that you might expect. I also recently saw a snippet of a documentary showing Mick Jaggar at a party hosted by Elton John. The music was provided by a string quartet. Again, not the rock/pop music that you might expect.
I've only done one house concert this year. Last year I played three traditional recitals and two were for free. Most of my years are like that. If I had to support myself with concerts I would starve. Clubs aren't interested in the music I play and if they were the pay isn't much higher than it was when I started. Adjusted for inflation it's much lower.
The interesting thing for me is that I've come to enjoy being a wedding musician. Instead of complaining about the music I'm asked to play, like I used to do, I now accept the challenge. Oh I admit I grumble during the process, but I take a certain pride in pulling it off. I've played Bach, Handel, and Mendelssohn on request in addition to the traditional wedding music. I've arranged music this year by John Rutter, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and in one instance I've played my version of John Mayer's version of Tom Petty's "Free Falling".
I'm not a concert artist but I do perform quite a bit. I'm not a composer but I am an arranger. My audience usually involves people watching someone they love getting married, or a group of people drinking, laughing, and eating food from a toothpick. And my self-image, adjusted by reality, is much healthier.