Hi guys! :) Thanks for including me on your spotlight.
I started seriously drumming when I was 12, previous to that I had owned drums but had never sat down with the intent of producing music. I was fortunate enough to receive a drum set when I was very young, my siblings and I all asked for it for Christmas one year and given that my dad was a drummer in his youth, my parents purchased us a kit. Needless to say it got played by the kids maybe 4 times, and soon it was only my dad who ever played them. It wasn't until I was influenced by a few friends of mine who were all starting out playing music that I started to sit down on the drums and begin to figure things out. I don't think I would've started playing music if it weren't for them, and they still to this day are very close friends, and we all still surround ourselves with music.
After playing all through high school, in local bands, music class, school musicals etc. I realized that there wasn't really anything else I could/would do for a living. Drumming was something I excelled at, and when everyone was asked what they would be doing after high school, my answer was simple, "Music". Though I have my eyes set ahead to a career in music, I'm still quite blind to the future, the industry is ever-changing and intensely difficult to get into. My options are and will always be open, and must remain that way if I ever intend to "make it", and I'm sure all artists can relate to that truth. My ten year goal (when I turn 30) is to not a have given up on myself, to be happy with what I'm doing, and to still hold true to the values of my 20 year old self.
My inspiration to play the drums comes from many sources. I'm inspired everywhere I go, whether it's looking a photograph taken by my girlfriend that inspires me to put in the amount of passion into my work that she does, or seeing a kid at school finally succeed at something they couldn't even fathom at the beginning of the year. My inspiration comes from seeing perseverance pay off, because that's what I'm waiting for, that little bit of luck mixed with years of hard work that gets me the dream job.
We've all been deterred from our passions many times in our careers, I can say personally that I've wanted to give up drumming before. Maybe it's not drumming for you, maybe it's photography or web design or maybe it's about personal growth. It doesn't matter what it is, if it's something that we truly love then we owe it to ourselves to pursue that something until we literally can't anymore.
Thanks,
Levi Kertesz