Hello World!
Grace-C Here,
It has been a while since I have blogged, but I will be up and running again very soon, A quick update, I had a wonderful Holiday Season with my wonderful family and boyfriend. Came back home and finally got my home studio together, (with the exception of a few more needed pieces) And I will be back in business with my music making real soon. I am attempting to start work on my second album come February! I am in my fourth month of Graduate School. I have a possible internship lined up and a few possible music gigs lined up for me come this Spring to keep me busy. Things are going very well, but enough about me! That’s not what this blog is about!
I have recently come across some pretty inspirational videos, from TED.com and some other sites, that are very helpful as far as being encouraging and helpful in understanding some things about the industry and developing oneself. The video I want to focus this blog on is a speech that Steve Jobs, (the CEO of Apple, and PIXAR) gave at a Stanford University Graduation, entitled “How to live before you die”. In his speech he goes on to tell three stories that happened in his life, and in essence were a type of turning point for him. He speaks about Passion and doing what you love in life, because life is too short to not enjoy and take from every moment in life. We all will die one day and are on a timeline and must truly live life to the fullest no matter the adversity faced.
The first story Steve Jobs talked about was how he had faced so much adversity before even really being born, with his mother giving him up for adoption to a family that she didn’t quite want to, because neither of the parents were college educated. But the parents made a promise that young Steve would go to college when it was time. So at age seventeen Steve Jobs did go to college but dropped out after the first six months and never completed. For eighteen months after that he would “drop in” on certain classes that he was actually interested in. The story goes on to say that if it were not for those classes he dropped in on after he dropped out, there wouldn’t have been some of the technologies and ideas that he came up with for the MAC computers and so on.
The second story in which he told was about his firing from the company in which he started, Apple, and how he had to face adversity at that point in his life. He went on to say, that if that moment didn’t happen then he would not have met his now wife when he did, and had been able to start his beautiful family. This moment also gave him a fresh start and perspective, and he was able to create PIXAR and other companies.
The last story he talked about was when he found out he was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and was told he only had three to six months to live. But true to his fashion he ended up beating the adversity in which he faced and received the treatment to survive and is cancer free now. He did say that he was so close to facing death but that death is life’s change agent. “Death is the only destination we all share”, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life”,” follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
This is a very inspirational video for anyone in any industry because that is the true message of life. Life really is on a timeline and we do not have time to waste just engaging in things that don’t really interest us. What I take from this message is to ultimately do what you love, you only have one life to live and one chance to really do what you want, so why waste that time doing things that you don’t truly enjoy? Take risks in becoming that person that you want to be. If you want to be the superstar singer, then do everything in your power to get there. If you want to be a mega songwriter, then you need to be in relentless pursuit of making that dream a reality. Invest in yourself and develop yourself into the very best that you can become, in getting to where you want to be.
One thing that I think about in living my daily life is, what will people say about me at my funeral, or when I’m gone? (No, I’m not trying to be sad or depressing) But think about it, what will people be able to say about you once you are gone and have lived your life? What will your legacy be? I don’t know about you but I want it to be amazing things, I want my life to be celebrated and not a sad event, but a party and celebration, because everyone in there will know that I had lived my life to the very fullest and that I truly did what I LOVED!!!
HUGS AND LUVS!!!
View full video below:
Sources: TED.com
 Youtube.com
see also for great helpful videos and articles with music industry advice http://www.artistshousemusic.org/

Posted by GraceCMac