I’m Quitting Music. Well Kind Of…
This past week I made the decision to sell my drum kit. In the past year I have made playing drums less of a priority. I’ve been focusing on building my business, learning photography, and spending time with my wife as well as friends and family.
We only have the capacity to do so much; make what is important to you a priority and don’t spread yourself too thin.
I decided to cut out drums to focus what matters to me most; connecting people and communities through design. Drumming was a huge part of my life up until about a year ago so I felt like I had to write something to close this chapter of my life.
A Brief History of My Fairly Local Music Career
Half way through high school I decided I wanted to grow up to be a full-time musician and travel the world. The idea of getting paid to play music and travel was exciting to me and became my dream job. A dream job for many that only the most persistent and patient musicians get to live out.
Believe me I was willing to put in the work. I have been drumming for a little over a decade, played in almost a dozen bands and also did some touring as a merch guy and photographer to see if that was a lifestyle that I would even enjoy. Right out of high school I put off going to college to move 3 1/2 hours away to Canton, Ohio to join a band. Looking back I loved every minute of it and wouldn’t change a thing. I learned a lot about myself and who I wanted to become.
If I wasn’t playing drums in a band it was fun to just support hard working artists and help them stayed connected with their fans. I had my fun and fair share of gigs that I will never forget. Some of my favorite bands to be apart were Hemisphere and States Away. We played shows with bands that went on to do great things like twenty one pilots, Wolves at the Gate, the Orphan the Poet, Come Wind and many more.
It was great to become friends with the people I did while being in bands and going to shows. Many of those friends don’t live as close as they used to or we have just grown apart because life gets busy. I do know that we will always be friends and can normally pick up right where we left off.
So What’s Next?
I started a business at the beginning of the year called Hear&See. The focus of Hear&See is to provide design services and marketing materials for bands and brands that are within the music industry.
I won’t truly ever quit music. I promised myself that I would work in the music industry full-time one day and this is me deciding to work towards that. I may not be in a band but I can support my friends who do play as well as other musicians by designing graphics for them to connect on a deeper level with their fans and grow their audience.
I am currently overlapping my day job at ACCO Brands as I am building my business the rest of this year so I can create a solid foundation before making the jump as a full-time entrepreneur. I am building up my clientele and refining my process the remainder of the year.
Maybe someday I’ll buy another drum kit but for now I am content with having my sticks and practice pad to play on at home and air drumming in the car to my favorite songs.
