When I was 12 years old, my Aunt bought me a portable recorder that had the ability to tape songs from the radio. Don't laugh folks, this was 1975! So,I bought a bunch of cassettes and started to meticulously record songs. I noted what number on the counter each song was located and started a card catalog on index cards. Over the next few years, I cataloged over 250 tapes. I was not really sure WHY I was doing this, yet I just felt this major desire to make these music tapes. In all this time of doing this, I don't remember a single instance actually seeking them for a particular song to enjoy. It was just a drive and motivation to create these tapes...... About 10 years later, I realized that my desire was to create music in recording studios. Rather then live performance, my desire was to spend hours, weeks, months and years in dark basements creating all kinds of compelling musical projects. I enjoyed more conceptual projects then straight out rock, or pop pieces. My inspiration had came from The Beatles,"Revolver" and Brian Wilson's, "Pet Sounds". Also, Todd Rundgren, David Bowie and Pink Floyd inspired me. Since my musical experience at that point had been in concert and symphonic classical music as a woodwinist, my creations tended to be on the more "theatrical" aspects of music composition and production. I have had the wonderful pleasure to collaborate with many creative people over the past 30 years. My associations have sometimes lasted only a single project or two, yet others have formed a life long bond. Either way, while creating music, art or video, each collaboration has left an indelible mark on my creativity. Looking back and revisiting these projects over the span of years has always put a smile on my face. I treat these compositions like audio diaries of my life experiances, romance, tramatic events and friendships. I find that the actual creative process is just as enjoyable for me if not more than the final creation. Art has always reminded me of history. To capture a moment of time and be able to relive it is extreamly nostalgic and quite a magnificent way to reflect back on lessons absorbed by my creative soul.

A creative space has always been a significant comfort zone for me. Ever since I was a young child, I have felt compelled by a necessity to create a personal living space that would best represent myself. For years, I thought this was just a so-called "safe zone" that made me feel more at ease. Little did I realize that at those times these "created spaces" were much more than that to me. To me they were extensions of what I would see in my mind, as I could not express these "visions". They were cathartic and helped me pull out from within the rambling thoughts in my mind, usually late at night when everyone else was sleeping. This process allowed me to become more clear and able to focus in the daytime. Whether it be my childhood bedroom all plastered with music posters, twirling lights and inventions guided by strings, or office spaces with custom made wall art and interactive displays-my real love and comfort was the space I designed to create multimedia projects and extract thoughts deep from my soul.

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention". How does this old adage apply today in a world of technology? I believe it is harder today to create beautiful works of art and music with the extream degree of so much logical or left brain energy there is in this over increasing highly technological world. There are so many choices, tools and distractions for artist and creative people. Although the "computer age" has brought us many remarkable ways to create, what is happening to the human soul in organic art? How much of this "ART" is being created by the actual human spirit or how much by mostly the micro-processor? Computers help us by thinking for us in extremely unconceivable speeds, YET the human brain is a wonderful slave, yet a horrible master. When we allow computers and artificial intelligence to dominate the creative process, what are we left with? I prefer a more organic approach to art and music. Instead of choosing from 300 tools in your creative kit, pick out only five and give it some thought. You will be amazed at what perceived limitations can bring to the creative spirit of any project.

The "Tortured Artist" has been and is a complex idiom that brings up images of large loft spaces ensconced with clay, ink and mortar. We have images of paint on the ceiling and large canvas tarps that lay rumpled, soiled with colors. We think, musicians playing in dirty subways for spare bits of coin. But, what really is the tortured artist? The true artist does not choose art, the art chooses him or her. The mind of a true artist is haunted by images and thoughts. They wake in the middle of the night and rush over to pen and paper and try to define their imagery or sounds only they hear in their heads. They obsess on refining that thought over days, if not weeks to years. It is not the sound of appreciation that drives them, yet as the world around them can not comprehend why they do what they do, it becomes painful for this person to come to the realization that only a very few will ever understand them or give them the recognition they unconsciously desire. They can't stop the thoughts or these desires to create. It is truly a catch 22. You might as well tell them to stop breathing then to give up this desire. Over years, they feel trapped by their own compulsions and aspirations. With no appreciation for the accomplishments and years of work, and no outlet for their final drafts, they can slowly feel they are purposeless and then they feel empty. How many genius of the past never had the appreciation they deserved while they were alive.