playing harp professionally

["Jason Paul Stolaruk" <stolaruk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey all.  Let me give you a little background info on myself.  My name is
Jason, I'm 24 years old and have been playing blues harp since about 15 or 16.
I hail from just outside Detroit, Michigan, but for the last year I've been
living and teaching English in Japan.  I'll be here for about another 1, maybe
2 years, after which my plans are to return to Michigan and?c well, I don't
exactly know yet!  But for years now I've been throwing around the idea of
playing harp (and blues) professionally.  I think I am/could be musically good
enough, and I'm starting to seriously consider it, but the problem is that I
have next to know idea about how to start a career as a musician and how to
make it work.  I'm too ignorant about what being a professional is REALLY like
to decide whether it is right for me.  For years I've been seeing live blues
around Detroit and I've been playing at the local jam sessions, thereby making
a handful of semi-pro and pro musician friends; unfortunately I have lost touch
with most of them due to the circumstances, and even so our past conversations
were often about the music itself and musicianship, NOT the professional side
of the JOB.
So, here are my questions:
- -In a nutshell, how does one start a career as a musician=blues harp player?
What are some things I should expect (things that most people don't?)
- -Other than musical talent, what qualities tend to make a person a good
professional musician?
I'm sure one could write a book in answer to the above questions, which leads
me to wonder if someone could recommend a book on the subject, or other
resources?  (I would like to talk to someone in person, but unfortunately I
have no musician friends in Japan and things are a lot different over here
anyway...)
Thanks for any help/hints/tips!
- -jason