Burn, Baby, Burn!

I'm feeling the heat. It's swarming over me, taking over me! I'm engulfed in the beauty that is... drive.

I take pride in my good qualities. Drive has never been one of them. With my music, at least. I have sat on songs and melodies and ideas for SEVENTEEN YEARS. Not to mention all of the ideas with my newly incorporated talent, guitar, for about 2-3 years. Well, ladies and gentlemen- aaaaat laaaast! My looove has come along! I have found that passion and drive I have so desperately needed for so long! And all from one little gig... one little blip on the music spectrum... something so insignificant to most, but the world to me... my very first show last night. What an honor and blessing this show was! Brought upon me at the very last minute, it will impact the rest of my life. Isn't life grand like that? It's the little moments that make big memories.

With the enormous and positive response from so many people in my life, I have never felt so driven before. I was offered a lot of future opportunities for performances and gigs last night, and I was stoked to take each and every one of them! I can't even imagine turning down an opportunity to perform now... what. a. feeling. Someone criiiiied. Cried. Emotionally connected with my music and lyrics and cried. Amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing. She even asked my buddy to introduce herself to me! She was my first fan! Ahhh!!!

I feel like I should be thanking people for getting me here. But this is just the beginning. The fire is lit and my ass is burnin'! I already have a show June 4th (mark those calendars!), an open mic on Monday that I am NOT missing, a new potential venue for future projects, a friend who is going to get me a gig at a place I've seen friends perform previously... plus new friends, new fans, new musicians, and a new outlook. Siiiiiiiiigh. Life is good.

So. No more rubbing sticks together. The fire is ablaze. The mood is right. The time is now. I've waited my entire life to find the drive to pursue my biggest passion and love in life. Music. I don't even care about the money...I just want to perform. Money would be nice, but that can come later. For now, it's about strengthening my guitar skills, writing every day, and vocal resuscitation. I'm diving in that deep end we've spoken of... my feet are off the board, and I'm mid-air. I feel the wind blowing through my hair as I spread my arms... Look out, LA! Shaneil's got a little wind beneath these broken wings! And with these broken wings, I will still sing.