Strange Conditions

Wow...so it's been a month since I last blogged. It's not that I haven't thought about it. Truth is, I make mental notes all the time with every intention of finishing out the thought and blogging about it later, but it just hasn't happened. My time has been consumed with applications, interviews and thinking and talking more about what I want to do with my life than is probably healthy.

Amidst my job search, Kristen loaned me her copy of Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado and mentioned it was a necessary read in our current state. He very eloquently encourages you to stop and take inventory of the gifts you've been blessed with; find your uniqueness. What gets you excited? What things do you enjoy that seem to come easy to you?

So now I find myself stressed that I don't have all the answers, much less a clear career path, and I'm concerned with how today's decisions are going to affect my overall "big picture". Oh how I wish I had a very distinct talent or passion that was unmistakable. A talented athlete who has worked hard all his life and set his sights on the big leagues. A talented singer/songwriter with a passion for music who has never dreamed of doing anything else.

I recently read an article in American Way magazine on composer Michael Giacchino who is responsible for the music you heard in The Incredibles, WALL-E, Up, Star Trek, the Lost TV series and this year's Academy Awards. He worked in publicity for Universal Studios and Disney, but he wrote and performed music in his spare time. He took evening composition classes at Juilliard and then took a seemingly irrelevant position as an Assistant Producer in California. As his talent and reputation grew, it wasn't long before Steven Speilberg and JJ Abrams were asking for him by name and he was in high demand in Hollywood.

This month's Elle magazine is dedicated to women in the music industry. There are short profiles on several well known artists and Gwen Stefani is on the cover, so of course I set aside some specific time to devour it cover to cover. But, the most interesting article was on Atlantic Records COO, Julie Greenwald. The writer positions her as the one who is attempting to save the record industry from itself, but I couldn't help but be fascinated by her past. She's a Tulane graduate with a degree in Political Science who started out working with Teach for America...and then (assumed by divine intervention) landed a job as an assistant to a music guru who ended up partnering with Russell Simmons at Def Jam Recordings. And just like that, her career path changed and now she's on the top, leading people like Diddy to say "She's probably the coolest white Jewish girl in history".

So I'm learning that there are lots of different paths to get you where you're ultimately supposed to go. I wish I was let in on those divine plans, but I guess God doesn't really need my opinion - considering that it changes daily.

Do not despise these small beginnings.
- Zechariah 4:10