Mehhn I remember when I was five. I'd be sitting in the living room of our former house with my family watching some cartoons. Across the living room was a small home studio. Night after night, my dad would just sit there, in front of his computer and with his piano and his guitar and other equipment. All you would hear is sweet instrumental music. Now, I don't know if the sounds my dad used to make cooked up the same feelings it did in me in my other four siblings (I'm the second to last child out of five).
It was also about this time that I was five years old that my dad stopped making music. He was a doctor by profession, so music was a side thing. He gave us a little kids' piano so we could use and entertain ourselves. This was where it all began. My love for making music. I remember nights where I would just be alone playing piano from that time of my life till when I was about ten years old. Of course I didn't know what I was doing but it was just fun to make some sounds. My parents didn't give me a piano teacher and I wasn't taking time to learn (of course school was a hindrance too).
this photo is funny cause my left hand looks like it's playing a piano😅
Going back a bit to when I was nine years old, I remember learning for the first time from my elder bro who was already in boarding school at that time, what a major scale was i.e do re mi fa so la ti do. I was intrigued! It was so easy to play songs. I figured out the notes for Jingle bells and Happy birthday on my own. I realized that I was just so good at doing it and I was actually extremely interested in it. When I really decided to take deliberate steps to start learning was when I was eleven years old. I was in JS1 and a man began to teach me piano, and I was learning it quickly. I was also learning guitar. Although these lessons were for a short period of time, I've continued learning on my own up till now– I'm almost eighteen.
But
Before now, while I was still in Ss3, it dawned on me that I really had to start thinking about my life. For so long I hadn't thought about what in the world I wanted to become. Also at that point, I was unsatisfied. I was a science student and the thought of going into the university to do a science course was just daunting for me. It was then I realized what I really wanted to study. Music! Of course it was too late for that so right now, I've settled for computer science (and there were multiple episodes of depression in between).
People say that music is not worth studying. Even worse, some people close to me said I should go and do something that will give me money! So I've been caught up with chasing the bag since then, and this is just about a year I left SS3. But recently, I decided that I would still study this music. I may not go to school to study it right now, but I'll study it by myself. And so I began my journey of studying music textbooks online. I also practice piano every night and I've felt happier doing that more than spending ALL my time chasing the bag.
learning new stuff
Why am I narrating this long story?
Yeah, I know I'm still a kid and I haven't seen anything in this life. There is one thing I know for sure. I'm not letting go of my passion. And I want to ask you, what is that your talent? What is that one thing that you're naturally wired to do very well? Have you been discouraged by others to let it go? Even more crucial to ask;
Are you so caught up with "making this money" that you've totally forgotten about your natural skills? Do you really believe that getting money is all there is to it?
Haba! I'm not really surprised that some people only think about money. The world we live in now places money and riches as a determiner (in fact most times, as the only determiner) of success and happiness. It is even worse in this our dear country where the economy is drastically plummeting day by day. It's not that making money is bad. We need money to provide our daily needs and all but why the obsession with this financial freedom thing?
Come on, what was it? Writing? Painting? Drawing? Singing? Making music? Public speech? Cooking? Football?
Don't let it go just yet. Chase your passion, not your pension.
Don't forget to share.
Let's Go Hive!
