John Lennon announced in 1967’s Strawberry Fields Forever “It’s getting hard to be someone but it all works out- it doesn’t matter much to me,” and from that moment on, my life was never the same. For as long as I can remember, I have been an overthinker. I worried in Elementary school on the playground- what are the other kids doing? Are they talking about me? I worried with other children (“Do they really want to play with me?”) I worried about myself; is this normal? Why do I feel so different? But from the second I heard that song, that voice, I knew things had changed. I didn’t have to be someone, I couldn’t be anyone other than myself. I had found an escape; more importantly, I had found a purpose: music.

My first passion was cartoons. I spent hours plopped in front of my family’s enormous tube box TV where I found comfort in the exciting adventures of my favorite characters. All of this exceedingly important research led me to my first creative outlet: storytelling. From the simple confines of my bedroom, I crafted epic tales of imagination. I wrote and illustrated hundreds of books, my work spanning numerous volumes and styles (comics, flip books, simple picture books, y’know, renown literature.) And while I still found and continue to find immense joy in drawing, my primary function had changed; I had become a musician.

At first, I devoted all my spare time to studying the greats of classic rock (the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, the list goes on forever.) Then, I would try to bring the sounds I heard on record to life on my first guitar, my virgin fingers screaming in anguish pressed against the hard steel strings. Believe me, I tried my best during my guitar lessons, but there was too much pressure; I wanted to play what I wanted, whenever I wanted so I quit and began to teach myself.  

From there, my musical vocabulary expanded. While I still loved classic rock, I wanted something more, things that classic rock couldn’t offer. I moved on- listening to everything I could get my hands on. Country, Blues, Punk Rock, Grunge, Funk, Jazz, Metal, Folk and every strange subgenre made its way into my life. This intense education began around the time that COVID hit the air, and the world stopped. Stuck at home, I had countless hours to listen and learn. I even began to take my drawing more seriously, studying avant-garde artists who thought and created outside of the box. Art and music kept me sane and allowed me to express complex emotions in such an unprecedented time. 

Once the world had returned to a sense of normalcy, I began to search for others with the same passion. With the help of my English teacher, Mr. Boesch, I founded “Pop Culture Club”. This club was a call to anyone who had even the slightest interest in any of my obsessions: music, books, movies, television, history, anything. I am proud to say the club is still going strong to this day, meeting on the last Wednesday of every month. This club led to new and strong friendships being formed. I found others who had a passion for playing music and we started playing together, not even trying to create anything, just relishing in the fact that we were playing together. 

In conclusion, music and art have done a lot for me and it is my dream to return to favor. These amazing artists that I’ve never met have given me so much confidence that I never thought I’d have and inspired me endlessly, and I hope I can use my art to do the same for someone else.