Brandelyn: Lyrical Contradiction

Today was one of those days that I needed. The majority of it was spent at a training for my job and one portion of this training was an alumni panel. As I sat there listening to the doctors and lawyers and PhD's I realized that although it does not get the same amount of attention and accolades as other professions do, what I do, is just as important.

For the past few days I have been incredibly wound up tight. I have been stressed out, overwhelmed, irritated, anxious, all those things and tonight, a friend and I went to see Gerald Albright in concert and from the moment he stepped onto the stage, I instantly felt better. Each note that was played by that incredible band allowed me to breathe just for a moment and as we walked to the car, it dawned on me again, that my work and the work of the artists of this world, is just as important.

Going to a school like Berkeley you are constantly being bombarded with questions about what you are going to do after you graduate. There is this unspoken pressure to attend Graduate or Law or Medical school and 'make something of your life'. And those of us who don't feel called to follow that path are somewhat dismissed for not following the status quo. I get asked almost daily about my plan for going to Grad school and almost daily the person asking gets the same answer. I'm a writer.

What people don't realize, or really care to acknowledge is that when you are stressed out from your job and your day what do you turn to? A movie or a book or a CD or a concert. Something that does not remind you of the pressures of your day, something that allows you to release whatever is going on and take a moment to breathe. That is where I and other artists come in. We remind you that it is okay to live to laugh to love to just be and we remind you of what it is like to have all of those things. Artists keep the world spinning and for all of my fellow artists out there, don't let anyone tell you differently. What we do is just as important as anyone else's profession and we should not allow anyone to tell us differently. Having to defend myself and allowing Gerald Albright's music to flush out all of the negativity was more that healing for me. It allowed me to kick start my passion for what I do. I am doing exactly what I want to be doing in the way I want to be doing it. My job is to heal, to connect, to provide that means of escape and I am so happy to do it. Look out world. It's about to be on!

Peace Y'all
B