MY STORIES:

• Utah musicians sacrifice equipment for survival
• University of Utah music majors plan for mainstream careers
• Utah venues and bands hope 2011 will be a better year for live, local music
• Musicians in Utah are finding alternative ways to have their music heard

MY BLOG:

Most students would cringe if they were told they were going to spend their next semester writing about the current state of Utah’s economy. My feelings, of course, were no different.

After years of hard times and finally accepting the recession as normal, I had forgotten that every aspect of my life has been affected by the down economy. I realized I was being given the freedom to write about anything.

Recognizing my stories could be as exciting or as boring as I wanted to make them, I opted for a beat I would enjoy. I wanted to write about something I love, something I wanted to learn about from a new point of view. The answer for me, of course, was music.

I have been actively involved in Salt Lake City’s underground music scene for more than 13 years. As an avid supporter and musician, I’ve sold my soul for rock‘n’roll more times than the Devil could count ­– and I knew there were others out there with similar stories.

Over the past few months I have learned so much about the strains of our local music community. Every interviewee’s story has been inspiring, stirring and surprisingly positive. This is a community that struggles together, that overcomes together. It is truly remarkable.

My faith in Salt Lake City’s music community has been strengthened. I have never been more proud to be a part of the artistic endeavors of this city, and even more proud to have had the opportunity to share some really wonderful stories while strengthening my journalistic skills. I hope you enjoy the articles I have written as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

ABOUT ME:

Since childhood I’ve dreamed of being a career musician, but have always known a college degree would be a good back-up plan just in case, for some strange reason, my underground music never goes multi-platinum.

I have always chased creative dreams, so when it was time to attend college I was very confused by which major to choose. Computer science, gender studies and nursing were all considered. What was I thinking?

At age 19, I was promoted from my job in a mailing room to junior web designer of the same company. Multimedia was a hobby of mine at the time. Corporate found out, and I’m sure hiring me for nine dollars an hour was a great alternative to paying someone else a salary. The company eventually went under, but I quickly found another part-time job in graphic and web design. I finished my associate’s degree and decided to get my second in graphic design.

I finally knew what I wanted to do, but after graduation and because of a down economy, I could not find a job. I enjoyed my part-time position and the career I had started, but made the decision to quit and went back to the University of Utah full-time in 2010.

I am now a mass communication major at the University of Utah and will graduate in Spring 2012. To compliment my design and advertising background, I have chosen to focus on new media and journalism. I hope to get back to my creative career soon after graduation.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |