Graduates, What's Next?

Graduation is here!?It’s a time to celebrate your accomplishments, a time to see family you haven’t seen in decades (and probably will never see again), and a time to experience the new exciting opportunities you’ve afforded yourself!

I remember walking down the aisle when my name was called at Auburn University and how relieved I felt.?I spent 5 years studying engineering with a minor in music, but I spent the majority of my free time on music.?I knew I wanted to do music, but I just didn’t know how within the safety nets of today’s traditional society.?So I was happy to go with my second love of building things and being creative.?I’ll just get a good job and use the money to pursue my music until it works out.

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This other lady’s story was different.?For Angela, as we’ll call her, life had the best of her as a young single mother. It wasn’t until her kids left the nest and started their own lives that she was able to focus on her own dreams.?It was go-time.?Angela went back to school to get the certifications she needed for a better paying job.?Now she had those extra funds to pursue her lifelong dream of recording an album.?And with today’s tools, it’s easier than ever…?download some beats, book a studio or grab a recording app, and go to work.?No label? No worries.. Upload straight to Spotify and others directly from online using sites like CD Baby, Distrokid, etc.?Had Angela started her journey before kids, before the conveniences of the internet, the challenges of getting even a pinky toe in the door of the music industry might have overwhelmed her and discouraged her from pursuing music permanently.?Instead, she played the cards she was dealt, and Angela went on to publish her first album at 50 years old!?How amazing is that ?!

The awesome thing about graduation is, it’s something everyone experiences multiple times in life.?YES, everyone!?It’s not always about walking down an aisle.?Sometimes it’s just about overcoming a challenge you’ve been dealing with for years, or learning a new skill you can use on your next creative project.?For Angela, graduation meant seeing two beautifully-raised children start their own lives.?Graduation also meant fulfilling a lifelong dream of recording an album, and releasing it for the world to hear.?

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For me back in college, it wasn’t about the degree.?Learning is great.. Meeting new friends and the “college experience” is great too.?But the true significance of graduation was just one word for me.?Completion.?Having a goal, a plan to execute, and actually executing it is so rewarding and inspirational not only for yourself, but for those around you who are watching (yes folks are watching you, whether they comment or like your posts or not lol).?

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So just remember this… as you graduate or you watch your friends and families graduate, this is merely the completion of one chapter and the beginning of another.?Ask yourself, what is it I really want??What can I do to help myself get there??Then find your inner strength! You now have the experience of achieving an incredible feat.?You can use that same strength and dedication you had for school and apply it to what you really want out of life such as?music.?So as I’m producing your next songs and walking toward my next graduation season, I get to enjoy watching all of you walk to yours in the meantime.