Task H - Inquiry

The questions for this task were unique and quite challenging. Here's what I've come up with:

• What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

One of the things in my daily practice that gets me enthusiastic to find out more is the unpredictability of creative projects I work on. No two days are ever the same. It can be a terrifying thought because often there's a want to feel "safe" or know that there's stable ground to walk on, but that's the exciting part of working in Entertainment, the ever changing game. It makes me excited to see what the next day holds, what challenges it will bring, and who I will be working with. 

Someone that I admire who works with what makes me enthusiastic is a colleague of mine who produces very professional quality albums. He's been doing it out of his home for years, and is now able to support a family doing what he loves, comfortably. He was self taught, and dedicated himself to the craft of making music until he reached a level of expertise that would sustain him, while helping others bring their ideas/writings to life.

• What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found away to work around the sadness or anger?

Overall, I'd say I'm an optimistic person, however, there's a lot of hurt in the entertainment business. Common themes of addiction, depression, hopelessness often exist when dealing with the music world especially. I've witnessed this and experienced this to extent being on tour with bands, and it's a problem that is rarely addressed in a healthy manner. A friend of mine who I admire works for a non-profit that deals with these problems head on, and extends love and compassion to the musicians in the industry. I'm happy to have worked alongside him in what he does, and offer help to give back in a way that not everyone gets to experience. 

• What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

One of the things I love most about what I do, is getting to take a project from a mere concept, and see it through to it's completion. The best example I can give of this is recording an album. This has been especially impactful in my case, since the albums I've worked on the most, are ones I've also written, performed all the instruments on, and produced in their entirety. It's an amazing feeling looking back and reflecting on the process of just how far the songs have come. Occasionally I'll listen to the demo versions of songs I've finished, then listen to the final product. It's a feeling that I have hard time putting words to, but often I refer to it as "bringing a brain child to life". A weird metaphor, but it gets the point across hopefully. Someone I admire who also loves this is my friend who I most commonly produce and record with. He's a former bandmate of mine, and we have a similar love for the craft. He now works for a major corporation writing songs, recording, and producing. I hope to follow in his footsteps a bit.

• What do you feel you don’t understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?

I don't fully understand how to get to where I need to be in my craft. I feel I have much room to grow, and know some of the tools to help me achieve my goals, but I like to think that's part of the reason I'm in this program. It does feel like because I have so many interests and a variety of skills, it's hard to focus on one, and master it.