Nick BaumgartnerSan Francisco Recording Connection

Major: Audio Engineering

When I was younger I was an adventurous and energetic child, as most are. I enjoyed competitive challenges because it taught me that most of the limits I faced in these challenges were set by my own self. These limitations were brought on by many different forms of fear and were a key to how low or high I set my limits. Trying to overcome these limitations forced me to acknowledge that they even existed. This allowed me to build an inner perseverance to change them over time. As a child this realization was not as definitive as it is now, but nonetheless it was a part of my reality.

 

The young mind has a very small world, very infrequently would I think of anything other than my own needs or wants. But as a grown man, my world has become so inexplicably vast. It’s in such a realization that all childlike needs / wants become obsolete. There is so much more to my world now than my own self. Now I see my world and my life as a test of my ability to achieve the goals I desire. Most importantly I still see myself as the key limiter of my success. Ironically, I believe this realization also gives me the ability to be the key contributor of my success by articulating whether the next challenge I face can be overcome by identifying a limit set by myself.

           

As humans, I feel everything we know about life starts as an idea, a thought, it’s the thoughts that have been given the most effort or energy that become your conscious reality. This is true for everything from Love (or lack thereof), to Math, to our understanding of the universe. It is in this thought that I find much strength and inspiration. I am aware that I cannot possibly attain everything I desire regardless how large or small that list may be. But I am certain beyond a doubt that most of them can be achieved if I play my cards right. One such desire is to be a key contributor in my life and be a voice for the generation I share with many others, through artistic expression. I desire to create lasting relationships with anyone who has an art they wish to express.

 

It’s these relationships that I believe will create inspiration and creativity, for a purpose. I want to develop a strong community of artists and musicians who also desire to have their voice heard. I believe that through this relationship we will gain the ability to directly impact our communities and possibly beyond. You may ask why I believe art has this capability and I could only answer with the following: “Art is an expression of the spirit. If we allow ourselves to keep this spirit from having a strong definition we are given an ability to express and create something from this spirit that is entirely unique to our world. I feel that ability also permits us to connect on spiritual levels producing a feeling of connection towards the external world and each other” Ideally I wish to use this connection and establish a community or artists of all kinds to benefit society, and ultimately each other.

 

            I’m a musician; although I have had other artistic passions, music has been the center of my artistic drive. I’ve played instruments since I was 9 years old and throughout my childhood I moved rather frequently which exposed me to different instruments along the way. Quite often my surroundings, my friends and family, my entire life changed because of the frequent relocating, but one thing remained consistent, my passion for music. Going through these many changes caused me much emotional discomfort and anxiety. It seemed as though I could never create a life for myself because it would dramatically change as soon as I had the chance to. On the other hand, I had a musical talent and passion that was growing and evolving throughout everything. This became a scapegoat for my emotions. I used music as a tool to create a mindset or leave a mindset and gave me the much needed power to be the controller of my emotions. Pretty soon I had created awesome friendships with other very talented artists that wouldn’t have been possible without my dependency on my musical expression. As an adult I have been contemplating careers for a couple years then I had an epiphany; I have never considered using my artistic passion as a tool in my profession. I was scared to make this passion a part of my professional life because I was worried I would lose the passion aspect and replace it with business. Now however, I feel so undeniably confident in my passion for art that I believe it gives me an advantage in my profession.

 

 

I want every project I work on to resemble that passion I have as well as influence and inspire others to find theirs.