Do Your Shit

       Today, I heard quite possibly the most inspiring words of my life:

       “Do your shit.”

       These were the wise words of a college student who graduated from my high school, and ran photography club when I was a freshman. She spoke with me and some other photo clubbers first about a technique for exposing film without a dark room, and then, about our futures. Basically, she told us to be creative and pursue what we love. She told us to be free, and explore, and take risks. She told us to do our own thing, and that as long as we can get back on track, our mistakes won't really matter. Most importantly though, she told us, “DO YOUR SHIT”.

       So what is my shit? And how do you find yours?

       Step one: Find something you think is just sorta cool.

       Step two: Do it.

       Step three: Do it differently than the guy next to you.

       I think music is sort of cool. For years, I did it, taking private lessons, developing technique, and playing in large ensembles. Now, I play in a string quartet with a beat boxer. That's my shit. I'm doing that.

       I think writing is sort of cool. For years, I've done it, taking creative writing courses, analyzing style, and attempting to emulate it. Now, I'm not completely sure how to make it my shit. I'm not completely sure how to do it differently from the next guy. But that's the whole point. Now I get to do it. I get to pursue it. I get to take risks and explore and be inspired, and I get to be free in what I choose to do with my love.

       I just feel incredibly inspired to do something. Not only to do something, but to do something creative and meaningful. Something that allows me to connect with people, and hear their stories, like the Dear World Project.

       So how do you do that? You get out and try something crazy. The Dear World Project started because some guy asked people to write on themselves a love note to their city that had been destroyed by a hurricane. Meet people and do weird stuff. Be creative and free, and mindful of the world in such a way that you reflect all it's beauty in your own eyes. Do. Your. Shit.

A Breath of Fresh Air

       Well it seems that for the billionth time in my life, I have put off an assignment until the last minute. Yes, I am going to be blunt: I have put off writing both my required, 400 word blog posts, until the very night that they are due. I have exactly three hours to complete them. Let's start the clock.

       Because I have succumbed to my irresponsible teenage nature, I feel I must also muster up an excuse. This week I've been writing an absolute bear; a post for a blog that is not mine. The idea of writing for a foreign audience outside of my domain made me really nervous, so much so, that I re wrote the darn thing three times. That's not revision folks. I completely started from scratch three times.

       Ps. That is a shitty way to go about writing.

       However, the combination of my new and nerve wracking experience, as well as my procrastination, has made me realize something really valuable:

       I really love to write.

       Racing to write 800 words isn't stressful for me. The fact that I have to write it all in three hours, doesn't phase me either. Among the piles and piles of homework I receive, primarily AP US History, blogging is a breath of fresh air.

       In high school, all the classes you hate are required, and it makes it hard to discover your passions. Then, when you do discover what you love, the unnecessary busy work from all your other classes makes it hard to pursue that passion.

       Ray Bradbury says this of writing, and I think it applies to the pursuit of anything you love:

 “You must write every single day of your life. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. May you be in love for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”

       In my blogs, I may not have the opportunity to remake worlds. In my homework drowned life, I may not have time to write every single day. But in my blogs, a small part of what I love doing is achieved. I get to write, plain and simple. To me, that is the most satisfying and freeing assignment I could ever receive. 

Caroling in Review

       The Spontaneous Caroling event that my team and me for Music Meetup at Iowa BIG, you know, the one I mentioned last week? Went pretty darn well. Of course, I'm keeping a few things in consideration when I say it went well:

A) It was our first time EVER planning an event

B) Thanksgiving Break

C) Marketing?

D) Surprise grand piano

       The design of the event was what I thought would be the hardest part, but as it turned out, it's a lot easier to bake a cake than it is to get people to buy it. Now, we weren't selling anything besides a bit of holiday cheer, but getting people to come to an event, is a real struggle, especially when you're sixteen and hardly know the meaning of the word marketing.

       Our approach, was basically just the distribution of this informational card we made, physically and electronically. To some extent, that was successful; success being defined as seven people attending that were not directly invited by any of my team members or me. But still, what even is marketing? How do you promote an event? That's the beauty of BIG, though: we get to learn.

       Also, our “failure” to market “purposefully” was partly due to the fact that Thanksgiving break fell about two weeks before our event. That meant that when we should have been out promoting, we were all on break. But get this: IT IS OKAY TO TAKE A BREAK. That's just the way it worked out.

       Our “failure” to market more “purposefully” actually worked to our benefit when it came to the actual performance. I'll tell you why: surprise, grand, piano. The space where we intended to perform was half taken up by a grand piano that we discovered the morning of the event. If we would have had more people come, there is no way we would have fit. Our group filled up the area like a bucket brimming with water, which gave the appearance that we were a much bigger group than we actually were (there were actually about 20 of us).

       In the end, it wasn't embarrassingly unsuccessful, but there were enough parts of the event that weren't quite right, to give us something to build on. It was the perfect start, and now our next steps are clear. We need more time to plan, more effective marketing strategies, and of course lay the ground work for the design of our next event. There is plenty to learn, and with the solid look into event planning that Spontaneous Caroling gave us, our next event will only be an improvement. 

ALSO: Shout out to our accordion player, Neil. He brought the party. 

Kids NEED to Know

       The houses seemed to sage, like shoulders when people sigh, or the skin beneath your eyes when you don't get enough sleep. Everything appeared to be coated in a translucent grey film, like the sun was tired, droopy eyed. Some porches were decorated for the holidays, the lights, unlit. The shitty white Chevy I drive, adorned with a giant dent in the side, didn't look out of place. There was a cop car parked outside the church.

       When I stepped inside that church, it was merry. There was a children's choir warming up in the basement, and the faint smell of sugar cookies. The Christmas celebrations were in full swing, and it seemed as if the entire neighborhood was participating.

       Of course, my quartet chose to perform selections from Lady Gaga.

       We played in the church cafeteria while everyone ate cookies and made small talk. Occasionally, a woman in a red sweater would stop us to make an announcement about a craft session, or family portraits in the atrium. We played, for maybe 

about half an hour.

       Like I said, we didn't play Christmas music. Our set list included Scottish tunes, One Republic, and of course, one song remotely pertaining to the holiday season: Cannon in D. It wasn't traditional, or appropriate, really, but it was cool. There's this one part, in a song called “Zombie”, where the key changes, and for like, twenty measures it builds up to this brilliant, BRILLIANT, break through, that, when I play it, makes me feel like a rock god or something. It's probably my favorite thing to play honestly, because it moves me so strongly, like I could rise up and start a rebellion. It's one of those songs.

       As I was drilling into some eighth notes, just as we were approaching the key change, I realized something: the kids watching this, have probably never been exposed to something like this. They've probably never gotten the opportunity to play a stringed instrument, or any instrument, really. They've probably never gotten to feel the way I do, swept up in a key change and some eighth notes. And this performance, just might be, their first exposure to that.

       And that's not based on where they live. It's based on the fact that a lot of the kids there were still in elementary school. In my town, most kids aren't introduced to music until they reach middle school, when they are required to join band, orchestra, or vocal. That's how I was introduced to the viola. I'd never had piano lessons, or even, like, a kazoo to dink around on before I was eleven.

       I've been playing for five years now, and I know that feeling, when the music just washes over you, when you are the music, how it feels like flying, and your favorite dessert, and going down hill on roller coasters. Every time I play, I wish I would have known it sooner.

       I have to wonder: Was there a kid watching us, thinking, 'I want to do that'? Did any of them tell their parents, “Mom, I want to play the violin”, or “Dad, I want to play that really big violin”? Could a few uplifting, nontraditional pieces, have ignited something in some kid in some church in some city that won't give them music sooner?

       I think that it I assumed that none of the kids in that church really cared at all, I may have been right. But, it would be wrong to just assumed that, and never try to expose kids to the wonders of music. Just look at Violins Over Violence in South Carolina, or Music & Youth's 13 music club houses in Massachusetts; if we assume that music is not a need, an immediate need, of the youth in our community, how will they ever know it?

       The truth is, it is an immediate need. Kids need to know music, before it is a required class, before it is forced upon them. So let's get moving and shaking, folks. It's time to make some music.

Spontaneous Caroling

       Pop quiz! Finish this sentence: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer...”

       ...

       That's right class, the correct answer is: “singing loud for all to hear.”

       If you've failed to answer this question correctly, I must inform you, with deep regret, that you are, in fact, a cotton headed ninny muggin. Stop that. Right now. Put on your Santa hat and get in the Christmas spirit.

       One very popular way to do that is to sing carols. Honestly though, I find traditional caroling to be incredibly awkward and annoying. It's nice at first, but then, after approximately 15 seconds, the magic of it all washes away, and you are left with a group of strangers standing at your door, serenading you. I 

hate being serenaded.

       Thankfully though, my Music Meetup team and I at Iowa BIG have found a much better alternative. The method that we have devised allows us to spread twice the cheer, three times the joy, and exactly 72.4% more family fun per tune. After weeks of carefully crafting such an intricate balance of holiday whim and the natural spread of all things jolly, our Frankenstein of a non-awkward-holiday-caroling-extravaganza is finally coming to life this Saturday at 10:30 am.

       That's right, folks.

       Two words:

       Spontaneous. Caroling.

       Instead of roaming door to door, our group of carolers will be casually strolling through a public space, spreading the joy of song to everyone around, and encouraging them to join along. No longer will people be forced to forge a strained smile as carolers dwell on their front steps for what seems like an eternity. Instead, listeners will be able to enjoy a bit of song without all the awkward associated with serenade. People will be free to join in, leave as they please, or simply sit and listen.

       Have we revolutionized caroling? Most likely, yes; but I'm not sure that's what really matters. Caroling is not something I'm particularly passionate about, in fact, I'm not sure I know anyone who is. However, I am very passionate about creating a sense of community, and caroling has proved to be a great means of doing so. Bringing people together to share good feelings and create something positive, is something I'm proud to be a part of. Buddy the Elf said it best: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.”

Buddy the Elf photo 

HOLY BALLS I WAS PUBLISHED

       I. Was. Published.

       For real.

       Last Sunday, I was published, for real. It wasn't for my school's literary magazine. It wasn't a blog post that managed to get more than two views. It was for real, and I still can't believe it happened.

       I'm part of a project based school called Iowa BIG, where I get to do work that is driven by my passions and get school credit for it. BIG doesn't replace my traditional schooling (I actually still take all my required classes at my high school) but it is a two hour chunk of my day that has provided me with more opportunities in one trimester than my regular high school has in years. One of these opportunities, was the chance to write an opinion article about BIG that would be published in our city's newspaper, "The Gazzette".

       When presented with the opportunity, it didn't feel like a big deal. I would be writing five hundred words about my experiences at BIG, and it would be published alongside about seven other mini articles that did the same. It was just five hundred words. How important could it be? The short answer is this:

My five hundred words were very important.

       When I saw the paper Sunday morning, I took a picture of my article and tweeted it, thanking “The Gazzette” and BIG for the opportunity, and within an hour, twenty people had favorited it. My principle emailed me wanting to know more about BIG and congratulating me on my piece. My relatives all wanted a copy of the paper. My teachers praised my piece in school on Monday. One of my teachers at BIG said it nearly brought her to tears. Now, this may sound a bit twisted, but I always love it when my writing makes people cry.

       That's what made me feel accomplished. It wasn't the simple fact that I had been published outside of school; it was the people's reactions to what I wrote. I've never received so much positive feedback. Ever. Especially regarding something I'm truly passionate about. In fact, I'd say BIG and writing are the two things I'm most passionate about, and to have people so excited about both of them...the feeling is indescribable.

       It's always been my dream to have my work published and to have people see it and to make those people feel something. On some level, I've already gotten to do that, and I'm only sixteen. I assumed it would just magically happen when I was twenty something, living it Chicago or New York. I assumed I would just become inspired, and the words would just pour out, and the world, would see it and know it and love it. I assumed that a publisher's approval, acting like the wave of my fairy godmother's wand, would make all my dreams come true.

       But being published didn't matter. It didn't come easy, but that didn't matter either. I'm only a kid, and still, that didn't matter. I wrote, and people read it, and that was all it took. Being published, while it is mildly crucial to the “people reading it” bit, doesn't really matter. You don't have to make it big to make a big impact; the simple act of writing, and sharing your writing, is enough.

Disclaimer

       As I enter my winter term this school year, I've decided to change up my blog a bit. I've already expressed my interests in literature on this blog, but from now on it is going to be more of a main focus. Music will still be relevant here, but this term I'm putting more emphasis on literature and education as well.