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Desiree Holiday
This past year has been something else, to say the absolute least. I gained, I lost, I conquered, and I suffered. Above all, however, I learned. I began writing and producing songs in high school. As I headed off to college, my attention was diverted to graduating and getting my degree in Mass Communications. Following graduation, my attention was further diverted to making money to sustain a living (thankfully, student loans was not a factor!). From there, I decided I needed to hop back in the saddle, landing me at Recording Connection. As the years went by studying with my mentor, Ric Web, I realized I had unlimited potential and I could literally do anything. So I did everything. I ran as many studio sessions as I could. I made as many compositions as I could. I did live shows and radio podcasts. I assist with other well established artists in Nashville on their projects and aspirations. After a while I lost myself. Why was I even doing all of this? I was chasing the money, thinking I was chasing the dream. Arguably, I was chasing the dream as well with intent to make money. Many sleep-deprived days later, I realized my intent in venturing on these various projects was the money to fuel my dream; the only problem was I wasn’t making any from these projects. By this time, I had landed two very sustainable jobs in my career field. Both entry level, one full-time and one-part time. Both jobs allow sufficient downtime in order for me to accomplish other tasks while on the clock, and they pay the bills (I was even able to move my home studio equipment into my office at work! Dope, right??). So all the running around, chasing project after project, assisting that artist or this podcaster FOR FREE was for the purpose of getting a big pay day. What I learned is that it is very easy to lose yourself in this journey. I knew where my path was but I felt it was lacking, not good enough, moving too slow, you name it. Overall, it was self-doubt. Thinking I needed someone else or someone else’s vision in order for my vision to become actualized. “If I just work with this person on their project, then all of my aspirations will come to light.” I was coat-tailing, or clout chasing as the young call it. So I had to pick up where I left off all those years ago in high school. I had to go back to my corner, breathe, pick up a pen, open up Logic and just start over again. The time I spent on other people’s projects was in no way wasted. I was able to network with established people who I have built strong associations with, and it was only due to my drive to further myself while at the same time earnestly wanting to help other people do the same. I am now in the process of finishing my first full-on-produced-and-record- and-mixed-by-me project called “You Are Beautiful”, a testament to the young child who has gone most of his or her life feeling unworthy of beauty and affection.
