Floating on AIR
On November 7, 2014 I attended my first Third Coast Festival as one of AIR’s 2014 New Voices. In order to explain how much this meant to me, we should go back a few years.
I had an interest in audio all my life. My early interest in producing audio began with music. In the late eighties my first “production” was an original outgoing message for my answering machine. I didn’t have any fancy computer equipped with Pro Tools or Garage Band; I had an answering machine with a mini cassette recorder and a small stereo component system that included a double cassette recorder. I had a tiny Casio mini keyboard and a very rich sounding wooden desk which served as my percussions.
First, I laid down the beat by manually drumming on my desk and recording into my answering machine. Next while recording on the stereo I played back the beat and tapped out a little melody on the Casio keyboard. Then I added some vocals and repeated the process about 2 more times including additional vocals and even a sample from an existing cassette. I wish I still had this recording. The process was very time consuming, but I remember loving every minute. I felt as though I discovered something no one else knew about. Come to find out this was just a very crude way of multi-track recording.
This led me to think more about the real record production process and a desire to become a sound engineer. I looked into actually pursuing this, but I was dissuaded by both the exorbanent tuition and the fact that I was only a few credits short of graduating with a degree in Finance.
Fast forward more than 15 years and I find myself once again tinkering with audio. This time creating a personal project that captured my experience during my first Pennsylvania Council of the Blind convention. The piece was awful! I had no idea what I was doing, but more importantly it was a lot of fun; it felt like I was once again tinkering. Later, I began reading more about recording and audio editing and started producing segments for an existing program within PCB called PCB Reports. Eventually I started producing Talking Advocacy & Government while listening to more and more NPR shows and podcasts.
I became aware of audio production educational programs like Transom, the Salt Institute and the Center for Documentary Studies, but none of these fit into my schedule or lifestyle. I learned of the Third Coast Festival, but that too I thought wasn’t for me.
Looking back, I think I talked myself out of all of these programs. Some of them were truly out of reach due to cost and logistics, but the truth is, where there’s a will, there’s a way. That negative inner voice took over and unfortunately, I didn’t have a way to tune him out.
This year, tired of wondering how and what if, I decided to figure out a way to attend the conference and be a part of the festivities rather than sitting at home wondering what it was all about.
While reviewing the Third Coast Conference registration, I came across a link to the AIR New Voices Scholarship. Now I find it much easier to focus on my inner cheerleader who can drown out the negative talk coming from my inner hater who tried to convince me that I would never win a scholarship. He tried to get me to believe that I wouldn’t be able to get through a conference that wasn’t specifically for people who are blind. “You know what will happen, the presenter’s will refer to the screen and you won’t know what they are talking about,” he urged. “You won’t find the different conference rooms and I bet you all meals will be buffet style.” Ignoring all of his attempts to manipulate me, I began completing the scholarship application.
A few weeks later I received the congratulatory email notifying me that I was a recipient of the 2014 AIR New Voice Scholarship. So to that hater within, suck it!
Some may simply say this was a coincidence that I learned of the scholarship, but I think it was more of a gift. I’m ok with calling it luck based on;
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” – Seneca.
Understanding that life will present me with more gifts, my goal is to do more right now to assure I am ready and able to receive them.