Here's something a little different, from the normal for you that is. This is the Other side of my brain. The rundown, I've been a furniture builder/upholster, artist, graphic designer, logo artist, salesman, wall paper hanger, wall paper designer, mural artist, and that's all on one side of the spectrum! I'm not bragging I'm telling you the artist life is not always a straight shot, there's a lot of twist and turns and multiple rivers. I discovered when I got older that Im not just an artist when I have a pencil drawing characters, I'm an artist period.
It doesn't matter what's around me my brain works the same way it does for everything, it never leaves from the creative thinking process. It's always in a constant state of solving, trying to find pathways to get creativity out. It's just the way my brain works, and it's always learning something new. with that said let me tell you how I acquired my life long side piece! The earliest memory of me mentioning her was sitting in a McDonald's with my mom for lunch, she asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up...I didn't know. I had know idea...but I knew what I wanted when I got there. Back then they had these small little box tv's and a 'Kriss Kross' video came on, I think it had to be "jump." I saw that and said...I want long hair and I want to play the guitar. She laughed, and smiled, what!? Mind you we don't have, any instruments in the house, my dad played drums but didn't have a drum set. No musician in the family at all not in the blood line, If anything maybe the rhythm from my Dad. I don't know what made me decide to choose the guitar, the "most judged," of instruments! Let's not add to the fact that I am African American, or back then ...a lil black boy. I couldn't sing, never expressed any musical talent nothing. Now wanting the long hair was so that I didn't have to get another hair cut, they hurt and there was always drama!
Detour, see I was the only boy...of three sisters, so every time we went to the barber shop, the fellas in barber shop knew it was gonna be a show when we got in the door. Three, sometimes four women trying to tell one barber how to cut a lil boy's hair that hated hair cuts! The question, "Well why didn't your dad take you," he's at work and when he did, he would let me get just a line up, cause he didn't like hair cuts either, he had a fro and lil bit of a 'ULTRA PERM' lol. So my mother, sometimes my sisters, would take me BACK to the barber I just left...it was a bad deal all around. But now looking back at it, I think my sisters enjoyed going to the barber shop cause of all the male attention and interaction, that and using me as a my size doll. Any who back to the music! I told my mom I wanted a guitar..no reason, (God Idea) and that was last time I spoke of it, years went by maybe like 6 years go by and I'm in Swainsboro, Ga with my family and we were headed to the mall for some black friday deals in SUMMERTOWN,Ga! My mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas... mind you there had been 6 Christmas's before that and I had never asked for it. " I want a guitar," I said, " Really?" she says. We go to HiFi Buys and there in the back, was the starter and moderate interments.I saw an acoustic guitar, a Fender Squire Acoustic guitar. I saw it and my mom got it for me right there on the spot! I still remember the amount, and the hifibuys card I think I still have. First song I played and read music for was the 'Mexican hat dance'. after about a few months, it sat, through middle school and a while in high school. (still have it till this day!)
For the 20 years I've been playing and learning and gain opportunities from knowing another skill that I used as a tool to get into doors, is unbelievable. From playing in churches, to playing for Music Solchild, Kenny Latimore, Angie stone, Keke Wyatt to getting called to come play for Jill Scott( her wedding). At first I thought it was just the guitar that got me to these venues and people...but it wasn't, it was only a part of it. Someone told me, he goes, "Man people like, like you right off the bat, others HATE you the same way, instantly...you can play but your'e not the best in the world, but people gravitate to you, you make people feel comfort and ease, even when they're unsure of your skill you grow the skill right then and there, like challenges help you get better, like Goku!! He wasn't super strong when Vegeta came but every time he fought he got stronger and stronger, and you're thinking just keeps scraping!!..."
This was a lot to digest, I couldn't understand all he was saying, but I understood the heart of it. So even though my first love is Art, she's the wife, but for the past 20 years I been seeing music on the side, and she took over for a long time about 10 years. They aren't sister wives, they don't like to share! I'm still figuring it out, but as I do heres a mash up video I did with one of my friends Rudy Currence, he's a well rounded nice guy, love this dude, and he just so happens to sang, enjoy!