Each and every day I try to reflect on my place in space and time. Time makes everything relative, and I often think back about who I was before major life-shaping milestones. This summer I celebrated my 24th birthday and it made me realize that I'm smack in the middle of my young adulthood. Six years ago I was 18, six years from now I'll be 30. And six months ago I was dancing in the sunshine at Bonnaroo with two of my best friends (admittedly, too busy to publish my fleeting thoughts & ideas - but that doesn’t devalue what birthdays mean to me)
Today is my half birthday, and I'm using it as an excuse to publish the realizations I had about myself at the edge of 23. It was an age where in achieved more than I knew possible. More than I was supposed to. More than anyone thought I would. I landed a sweet job in my field with a salary and benefits. I could afford to go to not one, but seven music festivals, plus countless shows - and each blessed me with new connections and rich life experience. Though I was not-quite-an-adult, I was comfortable with my lifestyle for the time being.
When I reached 24, I didn't know what was ahead of me but I already believed in it. It could only go up from here. My optimism was sky high but I was still searching for a sign to help me figure out what to do next as the comfort turned into my usual restlessness.
Just a couple weeks after my birthday, I was faced with an ultimatum. I didn’t have any vacation days left at the job that I loved. My side projects were moving forward, and I was becoming deeply involved. I had to choose to either stay at my job, or go to Colorado to volunteer at Bass Center. The choice was easy, but the consequences were unclear. I decided, rather suddenly, to leave my job and take the path with the life-changing opportunity. It was the most exhilarating and frightening choice I’ve ever made on my own, and I’m still proud of myself for diving headfirst off the edge and never looking back
That choice transformed the way my life would continue. I never would have had the guts, resources, or confidence in myself to do this at 23. But at 24 I became a self-employed marketing entrepreneur. I broke the mold. I had a speck of ground to stand on and I still knew it would work.
It proved that having faith in yourself is sometimes all you need. I felt something else calling me and trusted I could change courses. I rebranded myself, I created my business RJ Manifests, and I signed a lease on a house with an incredibly unstable income. I thought people would say I was crazy, but the outpouring support for my new endeavor was overwhelming. It helped keep me focused. I believed in myself so much that everyone else did too. And guess what? My head is still somehow above water.
Now that I’m standing on the fulcrum of 24, halfway around the sun, I can see everything behind me and in front of me aligned together. And I’m hugging my past self for believing in me too.
One of the most impactful self-realization moments I had this summer was shortly before my birthday, when Bassnectar’s album Unlimited came out. He wrote in a blog post “hopefully these songs will find their way into your lives at the right time, and serve the right purpose, or enrich your journey somehow.” The first time I heard his track “Surrender,” it painted such a deep picture in my soul that it brought me to tears, and it rocked my internal perspective.
I’ve talked about my dualistic personality - about being a gemini and how I connect with having two minds, two souls within me that swing between conflict and harmony. This song made me realize that both selves need to be there for each other, now more than ever, to lift each other up. I needed to let them align so that I could see the path before me, and leave the past behind. My birthday present to myself was a custom painted hat with imagery and lyrics all inspired from that moment and that song
When he dropped Surrender at Bass Center, on my first night working for the team, at a moment I happened to be right in the front middle of the crowd, wearing that hat, it confirmed I was where I was supposed to be. That I had made the right choice. That as long as I followed what the music tells my heart, everything will always be okay.
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Oh hi there. Thought I gave up? On the contrary, I've been out and about making progress all summer! I'm switching up my progress reports now that I'm about halfway through this, so look forward to quarterly updates as I keep moving towards the finish line (not that I'm anywhere near ready to see it!).
I've honestly been less than interested in keeping tabs on myself lately, but how else can you measure progress? I've been rethinking how I set these goals, and what each category meant to me when I started this challenge. It's proven to be a really random arrangement of progress, and I don't know if it's truly helping me in the way it's supposed to or if I'm just running around doing fun things because I 'challenged' myself to. Maybe this is the halftime feeling I need to work through.
Originally I started this list because I felt stuck. Now I feel like a super ball bouncing off every wall. I'm sure there are so many lessons here somewhere but for now I'll let you see for yourself what I've been up to since May.
Completed will be bolded. In Progress will be italicized. Incomplete items will stay normal.
Start date: May 15, 2015
End date: February 9, 2018 {24 COMPLETE, 77 TO GO}
As you can see it's a pretty long list! I can't even begin to scrape the surface on how much my life changed over the summer, but trust me there are some big events on the horizon for me. I'm looking forward to sharing it all with you (potential empty promise but it's really too amazing and inspiring to keep to myself so hang tight!). For now, here's my story in photo form.
So many unanswered questions! You guys must be all like.. how was Colorado?! All that Bonnaroo stuff looks neat.. Hey was that Bassnectar? What's with the white shirts? What's with the rocker hand symbol? Didn't you have a birthday somewhere in between this? How do you have a full time job!? (surprise, I quit) Did you say new house? Wait who's RJ? Do you ever stop dancing?!?!
No. No I do not.
Human perception is a finicky beast. Overstimulation can cause our perceptions to become fragile, and if that didn’t quite sink in you should already restart this article. I think it’s safe to say that today our population absorbs more communication than ever before. We are reacting to this, and our minds are rapidly adapting to try and keep up. It seems the world is saturated with culture and we’re all inhaling and exhaling in chaotic rhythm. It’s a collective of influences, brushing against each other and morphing the current landscape. People are so interesting. We all desperately need to communicate something, and once we do we become innately possessive of it. Quickly we forget that these things we’re so proud to share wouldn’t have been created without some external influence. We can sense inspiration, yet our brains are high-functioning selective organs that do their best to be efficient, it’s no surprise that our subconscious does most of the work without us ever noticing. Yet, we continue to create, and thrive, and absorb, and influence the world around us. So, the lines become blurred when a trait such as integrity comes into play, and we’re quick to call each other out for it in a particularly shameful manner. We are all creators. We each consume language and digest it and reform it into new ideas and structures. It’s a cycle we are all partaking in at this moment, and I think all art forms follow a similar pattern. There is an explosive accessibility of content, a fact that is a double edged sword when it comes to perception. In any form of art, whether it be music, literature, or visual creations, there is so much to be learned and digested that we don’t always register how we came to know about it. If you really want to dive deep, we can go back in time and try to decipher how any form of communication was even conceived into human culture. Where did language come from, or melody, or rhythm? Maybe it just dawned on a caveman one day or perhaps even some aliens helped us out. It even could be ingrained within the fabric of our biology. Throughout history these elements of communication have morphed continuously, and they continue to do so. And every day a new argument breaks out over who ‘owns’ what content. Humans are also excellent at recognizing patterns; it's a primal instinct that reinforces our perceptions. And we really like to point out similarities. This reflex causes artistic integrity to be a point of dispute in all forms of art, and I think its time we stop shaming expression just because multiple artists may have been on the same wavelength, or even partnered on the same projects. I wrote this because I felt compelled to defend the artistic process. I wrote this because shame induced guilt is stifling to every person who ever wanted to express anything about themselves. Creators are being shamed for their expression every day. Led Zeppelin underwent a lawsuit for the composition of a song that came out over forty years ago. Bassnectar has been accused of ripping off others’ music and visuals. And meanwhile, Shia LaBeouf has turned plagiarism into a performance art. All of these scenarios are being scrutinized to the point where the intent of critics is to cause the artist shame for putting their name to a piece of their personal expression. For not giving credit where it’s perceived to be due. Instead of dissecting the credit, I believe there is far more value in assessing the intent of the artist. It's not all black and white. Art is subjective, and expression is a beautiful thing that can turn ugly if it is over analyzed. Call me naive, but I believe the majority of artists have genuine, passionate intentions to create and share and inspire. No matter how their personal experiences meld together to create something new, no matter whose influence may rise closer to the surface than others, the outcome was something unique. That is art. And if you want to criticize it beyond the artistic level, you are stripping it of it’s intent. I urge you to appreciate all art forms from all angles, with a sense of optimism. The vitality of the artistic community depends on it. If this made you think, I thank you for allowing my own expression to influence your perception. *This blog post was paraphrased from my lifetime of experiences, and most definitely includes phrases and information that I heard somewhere else*
THE CHAIN - FLEETWOOD MAC
That kick pedal is just addictive, and the gypsy soulful lyrics just make me picture a big dock party in the middle of a bayou swamp. Plus that banjo, I just can’t get over how powerfully deep this song hits me. Especially once that bass solo comes in and the tempo picks up, I lose myself in it. Damn you loved, damn you lied. Rock on Stevie girl.
HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN - THE ANIMALS
The organ in this song is just so catchy, and the Animals really don’t hold back on this one. That classic raspy voice, along with the lyrics just make you feel like you’re in the Big Easy, or at the very least a house in New Orleans.
NEW ORLEANS - KID ROCK
Okay, it was purely ironic that Brittany and I had just seen Kid Rock at the 420 Fest and he has a song called New Orleans. The song picks up and all you need is that saxophone-piano-harmonic mixture to get you grooving. This one shouldn’t be overlooked, because it really captures everything about the road trip. "Burning through Mississippi with the Big Easy on my mind!"
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL - THE CARS
This slow and steady jam has such a simply put message; let the good times roll! It can’t be put better than that, unless you say it in French which is what the locals in NOLA like to do. So, for the sake of blending in, next time you’re on Bourbon Street give someone a big “laissez les bon temps roulez” and they’ll probably buy you a drink.
S.O.B - NATHANIEL RATELIFF
Mmmm, that clapping down-country big band kind of sound just makes me think ‘hot damn, Louisiana!’ Get me a drink and a dance floor, pronto. This song just felt like it belonged on the list, and if you haven’t heard it yet you’ll be hooked by the first note.
SWEET JANE - THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
I love Lou Reed’s classic voice and it just seems to fit in so perfectly when it comes to this playlist. And those soft ‘oOoOoh’s make you drift off into a relaxed state of mind.
This was easily the lengthiest mixtape I've published here yet, so picking out just six songs really doesn't feel like enough! I guess you'll just have to listen to it to see what other great hits are hidden along the way - and maybe grab yourself some jambalaya and make a party out of it!
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Wanna know what’s great about Gate City Brewing? It just opened in Downtown Roswell a couple of months ago, and it’s only a few miles from my house. A brewery in my own backyard? I had to go check it out, and what better way to explore new places than to bring a couple friends along?
For a little backstory, Gate City was founded in 2013 and named after Atlanta’s historical title “Gate City of the New South.” I love how connected this brewery is to the heart and soul of the city, and the phoenix in the logo is a perfect reminder of how Gate City’s beers aim to capture the spirit and opportunity that my hometown is all about.
Back to the beautiful Saturday afternoon, we strolled up to the huge open garage door and wandered inside. The parking lot was full of picnic tables and groups of people deep in conversations. As we waited to get our first round, we listened to some live music (oh yes, my kind of place!). There was an acoustic twangy sounding band called Crooked Wit playing some tunes that perfectly complimented the sunshine an light breeze. It couldn’t have felt like a lovelier day, and we hadn’t even tried the beer yet.
And man, I couldn’t decide what I wanted to go for (I guess that’s why they give you six tickets!). I landed on the 'Mosaic’n Me Crazy,’ honestly because the name sounded so fun. But the beer was delicious too! It’s a pale ale, and I remember it being much lighter and less bitter than the only other Mosaic I’ve had (Terrapin’s version, I wasn’t a fan of it). But both of them were distinctly smooth, and I really enjoyed this lighter session-style Mosaic.
The rounds get a little fuzzy after this point, but I know I tried everything on the list at least once. I loved the 1864 IPA, it was so flavorful and bold compared to most of the IPAs around. It’s an American IPA that’s built to be a crowd pleaser, whether you’re new to the craft beer scene or are considered a veteran. Another one that stuck out to me was the 20 Grand, it’s a cream ale that has a tasty hint of something (vanilla, maybe?), and I drank every drop of it.
Gate City has already carved out a special place in my heart and I’ll definitely be going back soon to keep trying their new selections. Tours are held on Fridays (5-9pm) and Saturdays (1-8pm), if you’re in the area you gotta go check this place out. Tell me what my next brewery adventure should be in the comments below!
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Writer, stargazer, believer in human beings. Die-hard rock and roller with an insatiable urge to dance my way through life.
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December 2020
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