The Idea

I am a musician. This is admittedly a bold statement because I have not played a gig in over three years, I am not in any sort of band or ensemble, and I have never been in a studio - not even as a sideman.

So what gives me the right to pin such a title to my lapel? To be honest, I'm not sure if I can in good conscience accept the honor of it. Or at least not yet.

I may have years of experience playing both piano and drums. I may have both a bachelors and masters degree in the field. I may have a good ear and natural ability with composing and arranging music. But the somewhat sad and all-too-honest truth is that I am completely average - nothing more, and nothing less.

Has there ever been a musician who hasn't daydreamed about excelling in their field? Performing in amphitheaters to a sea of followers? Releasing the record that pulses through the earbuds of iPods across the nation? A reality any artist must face: there are millions gazing at the celestial beings, but only a few shooting stars. Most end up with shreds of dreams and workaday posts in gray cubicles.

Like most recipients of masters degrees in music, I failed to launch any sort of career in or related to music. So I hung up my instruments and slowly pieced together a career in graphic design. Working first in an office for three years, I steadily became adept enough in this new vocation to build a freelance work base. I now sit in my basement daily, clicking away on my Mac, producing disposable artwork for nonprofit organizations that is, familiarly, neither awesome nor terrible.

I have always felt this drive, and as years come between me and the days of actively pursuing music, a sadness has crept in. I ignored it for a while, but the sense of loss has only grown with each passing month, and I have finally sifted through the lament to see what the trouble really is.

It is not money I am after, and it is certainly not fame. I believe that music resides in me and has been trying to bust through my ribs for decades. To this point my music has been the proverbial tree that falls in the middle of a thick wood. Without a witness, the whole stunning thing comes and goes without so much as a raised eyebrow.

Well, I have had enough of that. It is time to let the music out. Time to create something... put it out there in all its glory, with all its faults. It is the second day of the new year, and at this time next year, I am questing to release a digital album of my music, striving to have 10,000 people download and listen to it, aiming to spend only $1000 to do it.

There it is: a set of goals that sound simple enough and seem all but impossible. Please join me for the adventure.