Beliefs are like baseball cards. As you get older you collect more and more. Some less important ones get faded and torn. The important ones you keep on the top of your deck. I, just as everyone else, have my own set of beliefs. These are things I personally believe are right or wrong, important or unimportant, pure or tainted. Some may be contradictory to each other’s but does not make them any less important to that person. Everyone has his or her own story to tell and the beliefs they have held along the way.
One thing I have come to believe strongly is that music is a big part of everyday life. It is essential to live just as the air we breathe and food we consume. Through my experiences, I have found that music plays many roles. I listen to it, write it, play it, and sometimes even record it. The music I listen to often mirrors my emotion or things I’m feeling at the time. This statement is inversely true as well. If I am feeling happy or in love, there is certain genre and style of music I will listen to. The same applies if I’m feeling solemn, upset, angry, or even just relaxed. As stated, inversely, if I listen to music that fits a certain mood, it is possible to fall into that emotion. The music can trigger thoughts and feelings that may pertain to the emotion of the song, thus throwing myself into the emotion itself.
All of this is also true with writing and playing music. I play guitar and sing, both songs I like and songs I have written. This plays a huge part of my life. Without my guitars with me at all times, I do not know what I would do or how I would get through half the things that weave their way in and out of my life. A life without music is a life without love. A world filled with dark and empty streets and cold shoulder bumping through crowded sidewalks. The songs I write are directly influenced by my feelings. Even after a song is written and played at a later time, I will steer towards the emotion of the song I am playing. However, this is less likely to happen on a given day.
I believe the beat of my music has a direct relationship with the beat of my own heart. Sometimes it is fast and uplifting, at other times it is slow and forlorn. However, whatever beat you listen to, whatever beat your heart makes, follow the beat, and follow your heart. Be true to yourself and do not be afraid to let music influence your life.