Open Letter 2nd Draft

Jake Pavlica
Composing the Self
2/21/19
Open Letter 2nd Draft

You, sitting in the back of the class daydreaming about the thing that never leaves your mind. You are in your own world and you hear and see things that no one else could possibly imagine. If this sounds like you, then you and I are one and the same.
No matter the kind of art you want to explore, know that it is within your power to make it reality. I spent a great deal of my young life thinking I was alone; that only I looked out the class room window thinking up musical ideas and hoping there was someone out there who felt the way I did. I probably would have stayed that way, trapped in my own creative purgatory, had I not pushed myself to seek out others like me. You may think that you don’t matter, or that no one wants to hear what you have to offer; but I’m here to tell you that your dead wrong. Before I found my voice and my people I was completely isolated. I wanted to play music to attain some sort of creative purpose and to meet others who had he same goals. I was so unsure of what I had to offer and what I could possibly bring to a band that was special. On top of that I had no idea how to maintain a healthy creative life along with academics and other responsibilities.
The first step is finding a way to meet people like you. For me this was through a music class in my high school. It was guitar class and I had no idea how to play guitar, nor did I even want to. Since the class was an intro course I figured the class could use some rhythmic time keeping, so I offered my services as a drummer to the class. Before long I had found four guys, all of with different influences, who had aspirations to from a band. I was wary at first, as I did not know if our goals were comparable. As we grew I saw that it was our differences that made the music interesting and most importantly; enjoyable to play.
I formed a band with them and we practiced diligently for months and months after school, crafting material. Even then, we were not sure that what we were doing was good in the slightest, but we still did it for ourselves. The profound release of being in unison yet individually important in a unit was unlike anything I had ever felt. After months of sweaty, argument filled rehearsal we got a gig at our school open mic night and we were awful. This did not stop us though, it was only another lesson under our belt to push us forward and allow ourselves to grow.
As time went on and the band seemed to be in a rut, I thought that we would never play for an audience. I soon realized that my scope was too small and I was focusing so hard on doing something with this project that I failed to realize that I did not only have to work with one project. A friend of mind had started a band who’s drummer was moving so I saw this as an opportunity to cut my teeth. In this new band I found an even greater difference in influence that diversified my playing.This introduced me to a whole community of artists. Everything from painters, photographers, musicians, show promoters, light designers, and clothing designers all coming together to play local shows. It was a world I had never seen before and one in which I had never felt more apart of something, as vast as it was. Before long I had befriended a dozen other people wither in bands or just fans of music who would frequented to these underground functions. A true scene of artists, like a intricate tapestry of people from all different backgrounds and influences coming together in perfect harmony. These collectives do exist, and the doors are always open for fresh voices.

So to you, dreamy eyed artist, it is a vast ocean out there and there is bound to be someone, if not a group of people that can help you in your journey. Find your calling and actualize the sounds and colors in your head. It is scary, and it should be. You are taking a step into becoming who you want to be, but do not resist it. Allow yourself to trust in others and work with others. The art of compromise and mutual achieving is the name of the game, but there are no rules. You set the boundaries for what you want to do and who you want to work with, and there are those out there who want to hear what you have to say. The moment is right now and there will never be a better time. Use the that thing that you think about that you can’t ever shake from your thoughts to pump new blood into an industry that needs new artists and new voices. Connect with those around you and connect with people who can relate to you.