I find it interesting that I removed a string of posts from this blog in order to begin a clean slate for what I perceived as a career opportunity that faded into the ether. I have just republished them in an effort to release the past and any illusions still harbored. At the time, I had been very hopeful about a way to earn some family financial support by doing something that I love, writing, about something I love even more, the music business. I was titillated by the idea of working to support a label I love, with a roster I would be honored to work with, but the conversation seemed to end mid sentence and the relationship never came into existence. I still love that label and hope to someday record with some of it's talent. At the time, I was convinced to revamp the site with a more generic background and easier to read font, so after four months away and a lousy memory, it seems absolutely bland. I also spent far too long attempting to figure out what the initial post should be about and upon seeing a picture of an historical street marker from Tennessee, decided it should be an overview of my history in the business. Now the subject matter seems silly and somewhat narcissistic, but it is written.
That first entry also speaks to why I can't seem to give up this crazy business of entertainment. While it may seem like name dropping, it was meant to display a glimpse of how caught up I might be. The inhalation of stardust can be quite intoxicating. The paths I have crossed connect a trajectory of people who do it for the right reasons. The people who have affected me so profoundly with their art are the ones changing the rules of the business because they understand the power of healing that music can provide. Even through periods when I am not writing much music and barely stroking the keys or the sticks, I don't go through a day without thinking of the business. Which turns out is a great thing, since recently I have received yet more confirmation that patience and perseverance pay off. Despite much consideration in the last few years of going back to school and refocusing on a career in psychotherapy, I have continued to stay focused on my ultimate goals. This has now led me to a contract with Outlook Amusements which utilizes my communications based degree (especially that freshman diction class that obliterated my southern accent), my experience as an entertainer taught to know their audience, my training as a healer and my desires to help others through intuitive counseling. Since I wrote the somewhat whiny and fairly depressing post on my health issues in November, I have also acquired another job directly in the music business. An internship, fostered throughout 2014 by my vivacious boss, went paid beyond a living wage at the first of the year and I am now very blessed to be the administrative assistant for the Tina Terry Agency. I am incredibly grateful to be connected with an incredible roster of talent and a woman who is focused on global touring and music that matters.
Although I have found my way from homelessness to self-sufficiency in less than 4 years, it doesn't change any of the healthcare issues our nation is facing. In fact, since I wrote in November, many states are struggling due to the corporate nonsense perpetuated by Blue Cross Blue Shield and it looks like reformation is to insurance is what bailout is to banking - the next elitist ploy toward some futile attempt at the survival of the overlords. It also doesn't change the resources available to those who need help. Since November I have missed several more AMP events that might have encouraged my career aspirations, and served my emotional and mental health as well. I look forward to a time when I can be more proactive, not only in my career as a performer, but also in creating innovative public services for those in need of them.
For now, I will continue to share ideas for a more balanced human paradigm and have faith that the common consciousness will eventually create a world where we meet one another's needs and support one another's growth consistently, no longer in danger of reflecting a corrupt government controlled by corporate money and fear based greed. For now, I will work as hard as I can to overcome the challenges of our cultural shift, as well as my own personal hurdles, and allow myself to cultivate the spirit of adventure again in my life. For now, I will hope to get out more and stay longer. Together we can create meaningful change toward a more balanced paradigm. Together we can heal. Together we can grow into the species our planet deserves.
