I've had many jobs in my life. I've only had one true calling: Music.
The running joke throughout my life is I don't have time to develop an addiction. All that time was occupied with music. I made my first curated mixtape courtesy of a Sony portable twin tape deck. I recorded songs I heard on WBLS FM in New York City in the summer of 1979. And I've been chasing that feeling ever since.
I curate playlists with what I call the 'beautiful melancholy.' It is feeling absolute joy about life, yet feeling a sadness you cannot put into words. It often leaves you looking out of a window at the rain, longing for a place you've never been to, and you're not even sure it exists. Somehow, you know in your heart that someday, you will find it.
It is that sentiment that powers every playlist I curate. Every expression, every thought and every sentiment.
I've found that an appreciation for other disciplines and artistic channels has given me a greater understanding of my own medium. Learning about concepts such as texture, tone, hue, shade, shape, definition, outline, sketch, framing give you a wider range of tools and context to use.
I find that the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. With that comes a greater hunger for knowledge.
That should be the force that guides you to achieve and evolve going forward. Not only in music, but as you travel your own path.
Embrace every aspect of yourself. Learn to love and know yourself. Check your ego, keep your chin up and step forward with purpose always.
