My time in Los Angeles has been amazing. It has been so refreshing, a change of pace that lasts more that a handful of days spent visiting my family in Michigan. Not to say I don't love that time, or love my Chicago family, I do more than anything. It is nice however, to get out and be independent for a moment.
It is so easy to get comfortable, get dependent on other people. Why go out when I could stay right here with people I love? Being alone in a new city has pushed me outside of my comfort zone, meeting so many new people, being in intimidating professional situations and simply being in an unfamiliar place. It really has been an amazing experience and is making me look forward to 5 months from now when I could potentially be relocating permanently.
Comfort can often lead to complacency. Being in LA I have really been pushing myself to create opportunities, make lasting impressions on people and garner important relationships. It has been so reassuring to get such great response from individuals in the industry that I really look up to.
Today I had the enormous pleasure and fortune of meeting a man by the name of Andy Johns. This is a man who has literally had a hand in shaping the music that our parents loved and in turn we loved (if you have good taste!). Sitting in his living room this afternoon, listening to Stairway to Heaven, off Led Zeppelin's 4th studio album which Johns engineered, I could barely wrap my mind around the idea of how fortunate I am. To be able to spend 6 weeks in this amazing city, to meet such talented and inspiring people, to have friends and family that support my crazy quest to make a living working in the unstable music industry, a girl couldn't ask for much more.
I think the main thing I took from Andy today was a strong reminder of why exactly it is I want to work in this industry, a pure love for music. Although that sometimes doesn't seem like enough, I know it is. I am passionate about this art, and although I do not create it myself, I want to support those that do, and help them make a living doing so. I want to make sure talent is acknowledged, and that my children will still have real music accessible to them.
Before I left Andy's house today I managed to snap a quick shot of an amazing black and white photograph of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the recording studio together. Quite honestly I wanted rip it off the wall and take it with me, but it just didn't seem possible, so the photo will have to do. Beautiful.
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