When I Grow Up!

Currently I'm a paid intern at a major social media website in the Integrated Marketing department of their Music division, I've been there for a little over 6 months now and love it. Because of this gig I can get on the list to almost any show I want to, which is a dream for a music lover like myself. Before the website I was interning at an amazing independent music magazine Under The Radar where I met great people and got my first introduction to behind the music scene. This gig was also for 6 month and I got a lot of great music because of it, new Flaming Lips cd and Surfer Blood just to name a few. Starting at the magazine came after a realization that I wasn't going to find any financial independence in the art world and I needed to try a new avenue, so maybe somewhere in music would work. Because I already had my own blog going and always said I wouldn't mind working for a magazine I thought that would be the first place I would start, a music magazine. During this same time I started going to the Art Institute for Graphic Design (which was originally graphic design), only spend 2 quarters there where I racked up student loans and learned a bit of Photoshop. Which I use a lot at the music website internship so I don't regret my decision to go there, although I'm sticking with the decision to not go back. I figure I'll just go to normal school and get a BA in Communications or Business.

At that point when I went to the music magazine I had been interning at Thinkspace Gallery for a year. One of the strongest galleries in LA with the best artist (and I'm not just saying that). There I learned a lot about the business and politics of art. And where I got the confidence to go out and start curating my own art shows. Before Thinkspace though I was interning with another gallery, which is closed now, 01 Gallery (also there for 6 months). 01 has a rocking past but the new owners weren't exactly the most equipped to open a gallery let a lone in LA. One thing everyone must know is the LA is nothing like NY and vise versa. Although we are both major metropolitan, the rules are completely different. Example in NY its all about foot traffic, in LA it's all about parking. Well these were New Yorkers with a interest in art trying to start something they knew very little about. But I learned a lot and met a lot of amazing people so really it was a beautiful stepping stone.

Art wasn't the first love though, I only discovered that after meeting a boy. A boy who was going to school for art and suddenly I was jealous of him and all his classes. When I was looking at another semester of Theater class and couldn't stand doing another damn script analyse. That's right ladies and gents, I wanted to be an actress. A "dream" of mine since I was 13 years old. And I had held on to that dream 2 years to long, when I should have said I don't love this at 19. But I didn't want to be a quitter or have it seem like I was walking away because it was too hard. Now I'm trying to break into the music biz, obviously a challenge is not my issue. My heart just really wasn't in it anymore and I realized it was an industry who's bullshit I could not put up with. I loved the idea of being an actress, I didn't love being an actress.

And that's my "adult" life, 18 and up. Although my teen years were pretty crucial too but those stories will come along with a more in depth look into the above. Any questions please leave in the comment box, thank you :)