the dreaming tree

i have a job for the summer. i’m working at crafton tull & associates, which is an engineering firm, in little rock. i’m not an engineer, of course, so basically all i’m doing is scanning old projects into the computer for posterity. it’s pretty mundane, but i’ll survive thanks to a small mp3 player i have. today i was even playing some air guitar, trying not to rock out too hard…maybe i’ll just have to listen to only iron & wine or something to keep me calm.

it’s kinda funny, though, cause i’ve been looking at all these blueprints all day and thinking, hm, this coulda been an interesting career, afterall. my mom did try to get me to consider being an engineer back in the day, but i told her i didn’t think there would be enough of a creative element to it, or i might get bored or something. i briefly considered architecture, too (cause i figured that was more creative-oriented), but instead i went with the ever-useful music composition. not that i haven’t completely enjoyed learning more and more about music, but it’s one of those degrees which lends itself to little-to-no job opportunities on the other side (unless you want to get a doctorate and teach). other similar degrees include history, english, theater and philosophy, also known, perhaps, as the arts (or at least, not-science). sometimes i wish i had gotten a degree that led to a specific job after graduation (like engineering or something), and sometimes i wonder if i should actually go get an engineering degree so that i’ll have something solid to fall back on if being a musician doesn’t work out like i hope it does.

the thing is, i’m doing (well, really, pursuing) what i truly love. i do find some fascination in a great many things, perhaps some of which i could find pleasure in applying as a career, but music is so much more exciting and fulfilling for me that i would probably forever despise myself if i decided to give up being a career musician. and as far as i can tell, it’s what God has best equipped me to do: i’m in a band of outstanding musicians/songwriters who share my desire. i don’t know if we’ll ever be huge or anything, but i do believe we can make it as a working band. the pieces are in place, anyway…we just need to act.