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THE MOTIVE: I strive to be an auteur by having a vision for my music and literature that cannot be interfered with by other people or musicians. I've enjoyed working with several bands and friends, but I wanted to experiment with the solo vision of dreamscape music from my own thoughts. I'm very fond of writing poetry, and I'm in the process of writing my first novel, and since writing is a very solitary hobby, I decided to try being solitary, as I am, with music as well. It was to my benefit to avoid the hassles of band practice and the futility of arguments, and now I can share my expressions with others. THE BACKDROP: I currently live in Rowland Heights, California, and I am an MA student at Cal Poly Pomona University for English Education and Rhetoric & Composition. After I graduate in this field, I will move on to the University of California, Riverside, for my Ph.D. in English. While the liberal arts have always caught my eye, my real passion is music, and so I'm sure that I'll write just as much as I'll study, or at least that's what I hope. THE PEOPLE: Nearly all my hobbies and activities are solitary, so I don't socialize much with those other human beings, but the landscapes devoid of them keep me company. However, most of my socializing comes from work where I tutor at a local high school. With around 100 students a day to interact with, that's my people threshold for each week. I am also married to the most compassionate woman in the world, and I consider that well beyond an undestatement. She not only shares the same values, but she also shares my love of nature and has become my partner in the wild. I was born in Redondo Beach, and though several family members still live there, my family moved to Temecula, the suburban capital of the world, where I grew up. There were no malls, and hardly a movie theater for some time, and it was the greatest blessing. For that I thank my parents for retreating from the city to start a better life, one with more quiet and self-reliance. THE FUTURE: I see myself on my own private and undiscovered island in the south pacific, kind of like on the TV show Lost, where I will sleep on the windy beaches drinking fresh coconut juice while leaning against a big rock most of the day. Well, that's the way I'd have it, but realistically I will be an English/Anthropology teacher at Cal Poly Pomona until either my music or my writing picks up enough for me to retire at a nice young age, say 35. At that time my home will be my studio, and I might even start a record label or who knows what. Teaching is an opportunity, a hobby, and a passion that I share along with my music. I only hope there will be enough time to nurture both. But in whatever I do, I know I will enjoy it. THE INSPIRATION: What, many people ask, inspires creativity? I believe the answer to that is new experiences. There just happens to be free land unclaimed by suburban neigborhoods in my area of Los Angeles county. Don't ask me how it happened, but it's there, at least 4000 acres or so of untouched land actually inhabited with some wildlife and those green things we call trees. The rusty "No Trespassing" gates surely don't stop me, and I spend a fair amount of time wandering around the clear meadows in search of my soul. At times I've climbed the hills and found myself level with helicopters flying around the busy freeways into downtown L.A. I do not envy those on the roads, and for most of my day I sit in the quiet of the landscape and let my thoughts wander or be still. Try that, and you will find your inspiration, for it all comes from out there somewhere, in those places above our freeways, offices, schools, and homes. Yes, life exists outside ourselves. |
