I started my company Is There Anybody Listening, Inc. back in 1996, incorporating as a consultant who did contract programming on a machine called an IBM AS/400. A shift of events happened in that next two years that led me to the client I was at for the last 12 years; Abercrombie & Kent, Inc.When I initially set up my company, I had ever intention of working towards multimedia or music. The name comes from a song by the heavy metal band Queensryche, from their album, "Empire" and the song that just fit my life story to the fullest, "Anybody Listening?". I thought, "what a great company name. It will fit consulting, music, video, art, photography and whatever I can do to have someone listen to the dreams and goals and for me to help provide a service to them to help them with that.
Are they truly listening? Maybe not on the receiving end so much, but I am.
Lately, I've been gently shoved into rethinking my future, who I am, what I want to do when I grow up. Programming pays the bills, but had I lost the edge it required to keep up with a fast paced world? Was my heart in it to win it anymore? Was I truly listening to my own higher-self and finding peace deep inside with wanting to do this for a living anymore? The answer is yes. Do I need to retool my skills and bring them up to speed? Yes. Do I need to pick myself back off the ground, dust myself off, let go of the past and move on? Yes. Do I still want to follow my dreams of someday, having my music in film and TV? Yes. All of the questions are answered with YES, when I ask myself these questions.
So am I "in it to win it." as Guy Feiri would say on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives? You bet I am.
See, I lost myself somewhere along the way in the last 12 years. I needed a shake up of sorts, I think, to get back being me. To get back to the never-ending creative side of myself that cranked out 4 CDs worth of music in 2 years time. To get back into the photographer, artist and designer side of me that found joy in creating something that I can still look at to this day and go "Wow! I did that?" But most of all, to get back to the solid business person I once was, who could kick ass and take names when it came to coding, problem solving and being there for a company that I believed in.
I think everyone needs a little "awakening" from time to time. It a good cleanser for the soul. "Some times you have to hit them in the head to get their attention!" -Carol King from Scrooged. It's a death of the old self and a rebirth from a cocoon that had been holding me too tightly into comfort and conformity where I was at.
So, its time to let all that go and move on.
Universe! I'm ready, bring on the next step of my career please. Its time for me to dig in and have some fun again in my work life. I love the creative side of programming. Its creativity on a whole other level that I forgot how much I loved and that this was what I got into it for in the first place.
Here's hoping everyone is doing fine and hanging in there and having a wonderful Summer! Hey, if you aren't doing anything and your reading this before the 1st of August and you're in the Chicagoland area, please, come out and see the band that I have been playing bass and keys for. Syrens are playing Sunday August 1st, 2010 from 8 pm to 10 pm at the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club Festival in Chicago at Irving Park Road and Rockwell in the park! Its supposed to be beautiful outside that day, so come on out and see us.
Peace and love to all of you. Thank you for your prayers, suggestions, concerns and thoughts through this bump in the road that we have been going through. Its greatly appreciated. I'm truly grateful for the friends that I have.
Dave
"You and I, long to live like wind upon the water. If we close our eyes, we'll maybe realize, there's more to life than what we have known. And I can't believe I've spent so long living lies I knew were wrong inside, I've just begun to see the light...."
- Lyrics by Queensryche - Empire - "Anybody Listening?"
If the embed on this video ever disappears, here is the EMI version. The don't allow embedding.
