Cleansing

writing can be good for the soul. I wrote alot tonight. not music. just words. not lyrics, just thoughts, memories, letting old things go, thinking about new things to come, reflecting on the path that has brought me to this place. This place in my career, in my life, on the globe.

I sometimes ponder the turns life can take. I try not to dwell on it, or over-analyze it, but sometimes you just gotta wonder "what if i would have taken that job", "what if i didnt land that internship in Boston that literally laid the groundwork for a big chunk of my career". "What if i hadnt been fired from that engineering job in Dayton, Ohio".

Yep, i was an intern at a few places. I did all the shit work, and i tried to never complain and to do my crappy job well. I was thrilled to be in a professional studio environement doing anything at all!!!

Yep, i was once a staff engineer at Refraze Studios in Dayton, Ohio, and I got "let go", because they wanted to bring in someone "better" than me to open a new room. First, i wonder if the guy that fired me still thinks the other guy was a better choice than me, and second, i've gotta thank the guy that fired me for doing me a tremendously huge favor and helping me more quickly and definitively make up my mind to get my ass to New York City and make a name for myself.

I wonder if Soundtrack Studios in New York would have hired me if Dante Gioia hadnt walked right by me in the lobby when i was waiting to interview. Long story, too long to tell tonight.

I wonder where i'd be now if in 1995 i hadn't decided to go freelance, even though at the time i had no clients, and was working on an outside project that was paying me very little. Best decision i ever made. I believed in myself, I believed it was the right thing to do, and i believed i would find a way to be successful. It worked out ok.

Its crazy thinking of the series of people and events who, tied together, have taken me thru the series of twists and turns that landed me here. I'll start at 8 years old, and hit some of the most important ones. None of you will care about any of this, but its fun for me to think about.

My Mom and Dad - Bruce Hutton - Jeff Martin - Coach Cummins - Berklee - Steve Wheeler - Dante Gioia - Carl Beatty - Soundtrack Studios Boston - Refraze Studios - Soundtrack New York - Troy Hightower - Tony Maserati - Lesley Kirby - Sherry Johnson - David Crafa - Malik Pandleton - Mike Mangini - Just Blaze - Joe Hedges - Troy Brown - Kanye West - Dylan Wissing - David Ashby - Brent Kolatalo - Ric Aliberte.

I'm certainly leaving out a TON of people who truly matter to my career, and this isnt an exact straight timeline, but i can honestly say, though some of these people are good, and some bad (like my former manager who was arrested for fraud, ugh), each of these people and places made me take a turn in the road. I could have gone one way, i went another. and here i am. Maybe i'm in the best place i could be, maybe i could be much further if only, or maybe i'd be selling shoes without that one link in the chain.

The things that have always remained a constant, the glue thats held the chain together, maybe pulled the chain together, the compass thats guided my decisions and my path, are my work ethic, sense of business ethics, a sense that big rewards will only come from big risks and so will big failures, the ability to learn and grow from both my successes and my failures, and maybe a little talent sprinkled in.

This post has been very cleansing, and I'm finally tired enough to sleep. Tomorrow will be a great day, I feel it.

-Ken Lewis