“If it scares you, do it”
I’ve never had a year of my life ever go by so fast. Yesterday officially marked my first year living in Manhattan, and this post will recap what I’ve learned and experienced.
Having went to school in Philadelphia, PA I was unsure about the move to Manhattan. A lot was going on a year ago. I had a very successful music lesson show which continually grew, was featured on the iPhone, Revision 3 showed interest in syndication, I was placed in Youtube’s Partner Program, and more. I was to live with Mark Burstiner and Paul Lewis in Hoboken, and our apartment was set up to be a social media hub. We had computers, cameras, business models, ideas, youth, and hustle. Our excitement was unmatched, too.
Everything was fantastic, and then October hit and things changed. The economy was horrible, and companies were making staff cuts. My sponsors stopped advertising on my show because of cutbacks, Ustream and Revision 3 discontinued my show as well as made several tough layoffs, and everything seemed to stop. I learned that nothing is final until it happens, and that everything happens for a reason.
All this happened within a few weeks of itself, and all within 2 months of my move to NYC. I was crushed, because how was I supposed to make this work now?
So I took a break, re-analyzed my situation, and held off for a few months. Then February came around, things looked brighter, and I took the plunge.
Everything was new to me. The subway lines, the cost of beer, rent, the fashion, the people, and of course – the music. I remember my first night and my first day in Manhattan at House 2.0 years ago, and how magical I thought NYC was. Now I was living it, all while being scared of it. It was a horrible first 3 months, and I remember thinking I made a huge mistake.
“If it scares you, do it”
I continued to do the music lesson show, and now since I was in Manhattan, I was able to have some really cool guests on my show, and I was a few blocks away from all the NYC headquarter offices of the sponsors I was working with. Things started to turn around, the show was doing well with many great sponsors, and the music community and students backed behind me with their support.
Then in June opportunity continued to knock, and I worked at The Independent Music Awards overtaking for Jody Gnant. It was a good experience, and I learned a ton. Overseeing web strategies, iPhone Apps, connecting with MySpace, Apple, New Music Summit, DigiDay, and even launching their Youtube channel. But soon enough, it was November, and all I could think about was ‘ForOrchestra’.
I was at square one, and I wasn’t sure if For Orchestra would work. I worked so much that I slept on my leaky air mattress the first 2 months, then an old futon, only finally making time to go ‘official’ bed shopping one week in July. I was connecting with tons of musicians, publishers, social media enthusiasts, and lived a happier, more artistic life, while still being scared. Everything seemed magical, liberating and inspirational. What seemed unfeasible, and scary, quickly become a lifestyle I fed off of.
I remember first moving here and having lunch with Whitney Hess, long phone convos with Matthew Knell and Ben Parr, beers with Tony Bacigalupo, and late nights with my amazing brother and sister. I was looking for answers, fighting with ideas, thoughts, possibilities, and more. I was breaking under my own weight, and looked back every day thankful for their guidance, and friendship.
Then, in October, ‘For Orchestra’ was featured on Perez Hilton and received tons of press in the last year, making me more confident and hopeful for the growth of orchestra music.
These past few months consisted me of fine tuning my studio, working with orchestras and working on a few exciting projects coming up very soon. Looking back, it’s been much too fast. I was obsessive with where I should live, whether my move was the right call, and if ‘For Orchestra’ – an idea I had since 2006 – could work. I learned that the most important thing is that you keep your chin up, stay passionate, and stay on the course. It’s not a linear process. Life would be boring that way anyway.
For the first time in my life I just “went with it” and the people were amazing both online and offline, the parties were bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced, and the artwork was filled with beauty. I went from being afraid, shy, and confused to now I smile bigger, take more risks, confident, write bigger music, am a better listener, wiser, and more understanding than I’ve ever been. In the past year, I gained inspiration and met amazing people from all over, while I visited Boston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Washington DC, and even Pittsburgh.
Like a great piece of music, any good experience has uncertainty, triumph, fear, love, hate, opportunity, highs, and lows. Follow your passion, and your gut. I wish I could be more specific with my year in Manhattan, but I’ll save that for another post – there simply was too much happening at any given day.
If I didn’t take the leap I would have never had these things, and I suppose that my biggest lesson I’ve learned is that it’s worth dipping into the cold water. Life isn’t simply about dipping your feet – it’s about jumping in wholeheartedly. And who cares if you get wet, we’re all learning how to swim together.
“If it scares you, do it”
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