"I grew up surrounded by a musically gifted family and I was inspired by their passion for music."

There are a lot of musicians in my family. My grandpa is a self taught musician who can play the Mandolin, Guitar, Piano and the Harmonica. He can learn and play a song simply by hearing it once. My grandma was also musical, she enjoyed playing the piano and the guitar.

I grew up surrounded by a musically gifted family and I was inspired by their passion for music. I figured it was my calling to be a musician. At a young age I took up drums, it went poorly. I wasn't fazed, I figured I wasn't a percussionist, I moved on to the clarinet. I could hear everything I did wrong, but nothing I did right, clearly wind instruments weren't for me.

In high school it was cool to play the guitar, my friends all played acoustic guitars. I purchased a guitar, took lessons and practiced at home, soon I realized the stringed instruments weren't for me either. I gave up on music for a couple years, but when I graduated high school I went to a college that offered personal lessons in piano.

In a last ditch effort to prove I had what it took to be a musician I spent 15 weeks taking lessons. When the lessons were over, the only thing I learned was that I was horrible at music and none of my grandparents talent was past on through my father. I was a loser in the music industry.

I gave up, it wasn't my destiny to be loved for my abilities in music. This realization hurt, I didn't want to give up on the music industry. It was some time before I realized my calling and exactly how I would touch music industry. As it turned out, I had a skill musicians were interested in, I offered a commodity that made me valuable to musicians.

Musicians were interested in my design skills. It was my ability to market them that made me valuable. I have sense worked for two music labels and multiple independent musicians. The lessons I've learned along the way have been different, but one thing has stayed consistent. It's hard to survive in the music industry.

My hope is that through these experiences and with the knowledge I've gained I'll be able to do what my colleagues and bosses before me were unable to do. I believe my contacts, friends and past experiences will be valuable tools for guiding me through the music industry. I am coming to the table with a new set of ideas, I will survive where others haven't.