How Music Shaped Me Into Who I Am
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How Music Shaped Me Into Who I Am

Being in a band isn't about you, but it's about others.

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How Music Shaped Me Into Who I Am
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I don't believe that we were created to fit in or conform to the surrounding world, I believe that we were created for something more. As many of you know I talk a lot about my time in the music industry and how it shaped me into the person I am today. I've written about hope, love, compassion, and acceptance but something I've never really talked about with anyone before has been pride.

In late 2010, I was brought into a local band by my four best friends in Virginia after I tried out and they made a decision to pick me up as their new vocalist. I was only in the band for a few short weeks but the memories I have of that time will last a life time. I was told I didn't fit the style and sound they were going for and didn't want any hard feelings, I told them all was well but inside I was crushed. I had wanted this opportunity to be in a band for so long and when I was removed from the line up I decided to give music up all together.

A few weeks go by and I was incredibly bitter at the way things ended that I wanted to prove to everyone that I could and would be in a band with an amazing sound. I picked up my phone and called my best friend Jessie, I told him I wanted to start a band and wanted him to play drums. Jessie and I formed the band To Move An Ocean in January of 2011 and set out to pick up three members for Guitar and Bass.

A little over six months we were playing our first show at one of the biggest venues in our area where I had seen some of my favorite bands perform on the same stage I was performing on. It was a very humbling experience but thats when pride came into play. I was never one to boast myself up or brag about everything I had done, but that doesn't mean that I never got big headed when someone would compliment my music or what I said on stage. I had taken a band and used it for my own gain without knowing it and without fully understanding what I could do with it besides being selfish. I lived for the applause and the fame I was gaining as a vocalist for a band, it was all for self gain off stage but on stage I would say I was doing this for the glory of God.

A little over two years after the band played our first show we decided to call it quits and around the same time I received a message from a band called Silence The Assembly asking me if I would be interested in trying out as the vocalist for their band. After many days of thinking if I still wanted to be involved in music I decided to go meet up with the guys and talk to them about what they were trying to do with the band. The group of five guys that sat in front of me that night shared their thoughts about what the band meant to them and how they just wanted to spread love and hope through their music.

My mind was blown, this was the band I was after who could keep me accountable with my pride and trust me they did. We spent a lot of time hanging out, writing music, going to Chili's (Seriously, I had a huge problem with always wanting to eat at Chili's), and talking to people. They truly showed me how much of a responsibility being in a band was.

In 2014 we put out a single called "Questions" where I talked a lot about my pride with the first line of the song being "Am I doing this for you or am I doing this for my own selfishness?" After we finished the song and I listened to it and heard the chorus "I wanted the praise. I wanted the world." I was just so grateful that I wasn't the person I once was and that I was finally doing this for others and not for myself.

I know that everything I've been through has gotten me to where I am in life right now The guys in this band helped mold me into the person I am. I don't believe that we're supposed to regret anything in life but there are somethings I wish I could have done differently but I know that everything has gotten me to where I am right now.

Life is about learning, growing, falling down and getting back up, we're not supposed to be perfect but we were created perfectly and that's because there will only ever be one person just like you and thats you. If you're struggling with anything in life I want to remind you that you are strong, beautiful, unique, and special in every way.

You are loved.

Your Life Has Value

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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