Whenever I graduated high school, I knew that I didn't want to stay in St. Louis, Missouri. College just seemed like a natural excuse to chart out on my own and see where my adventurous and very naive personality would lead. After a year at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, the music faculty convinced me to stop playing D1 lacrosse and to put all my energy in pursuance of a music degree. Years later, that same degree hangs over my home studio desk not as a flaunt, but as a constant reminder that a really expensive piece of paper won't guarantee a career, but the ability to make tough choices and the discipline to work hard might.

After graduating I found myself still eager to learn more about a possible career in the music industry - but however comfortable it was, Kentucky wasn't the place for that to happen. Within two years I had quit my studio, touring, and teaching gigs and worked a few contracts as the orchestra drummer on a cruise ship to get my chops up. I came home, packed everything, and moved to Nashville with the one person I knew there. 

Once in town, I was overwhelmed by the amount of talent oozing throughout the city.  If I've learned anything it's that this business isn't meant for everyone - but everyone in it means business. With the encouragement of the relationships I made in Nashville, I embraced the change and found myself getting calls for work that I thought I had no business taking. Within five short years I have since traveled the country in everything from a cramped mini cooper to a private jet. I've played for tips on the street, and I've played stadiums in front of thousands. Music has allowed me to experience this vast spectrum, but humility has let me embrace it and yearn for more.