Matthew 7:7
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
I want to tell you all a story. But before I do, I urge every musician and every artist and anyone who expresses their soul creatively to pay close attention. This message is for you.
When I was 16 years old, I suffered a serious depression. Crazy family stuff occurred, My dad got deported, I attempted suicide. The works. I managed to pull out of that deppression but I didn't do it on my own. I had the help of God and music.
Music carried me to where I wanted to be in my life. During this transformation of my soul, I found an artist that happened to have the words and music so majestically and elaborately put together to correspond with emotions that I felt, that I thought no one else did. Her name is Amanda Palmer and her band was The Dresden Dolls. I started to follow her online periodically for a couple years which was very easy since she's constantly updating about her work.
The day came when she started going on tour, as a solo artist. And guess what city she was coming to? Miami! I had read online that when she tours, she ASKS her fans for a place to crash or for craft services in exchange for backstage passes. I had my good friend, Adam help me get in contact with her manager and I ASKED them that if they needed a place to crash in Miami, my doors would be open for Amanda Palmer and her whole crew. Surprisingly enough, the decision was made. She was couchsurfing at my house for 3 days along with her tour manager and the girl in charge of merch.
My family made arrangements to make them all as comfortable as possible. Although we didn't have much, we made sure to give them the best hospitality and comfort possible. She finally arrived and the experience was magical! Although they were very busy planning their tour and practicing, we still found the time to bond. We laughed, we ate, we took pictures, she autographed everything! But most importantly, we made a connection. And not just with me, but with my whole family as well. When our eyes would meet, there was a sense of awareness that we knew we exist. A sense of appreciation and gratitude in the most humbling way.
3 days passed and the day of the concert arrived. We all said our goodbyes as a family and off to the show we went. Not only was I showered with gifts but I got backstage passes for my friends and I. I helped shoot a video of the opening act and Amanda give me a shout out on stage! It was a dream come true. I even got her autograph on my lower back and had it tattooed. My first tattoo at that! It was the best experience of my life!
The years passed and I still followed her. She married Neil Gaiman and recently put out a new Album after dropping her record label and starting her own label with a new band called Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra. They did a kickstarter for their album. The goal was $100,000. She ended up raising almost 1.2 million dollars with just roughly 25000 donors. Suffice it to say, she made music HISTORY.
While all this is happening, I receive an email from Amanda's personal email ASKING permission to share our experience with the world on ted.com because the experience she had with my family and I was one that impacted her the most. Of course I said yes, but never in life did I expect to see the fruit of a seed that I planted with love and kindness prosper so beautifully. I honestly didn't know what it was like for her to stay with my family and I for 3 days. How did this experience change her? I have received an answer. And I present it to all of you. This is a talk she did for TED.COM. It's message is powerful and uplifting. It's an idea that we can all incorporate into everything we do. Enjoy and God bless.
http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking.html
I want to tell you all a story. But before I do, I urge every musician and every artist and anyone who expresses their soul creatively to pay close attention. This message is for you.
When I was 16 years old, I suffered a serious depression. Crazy family stuff occurred, My dad got deported, I attempted suicide. The works. I managed to pull out of that deppression but I didn't do it on my own. I had the help of God and music.
Music carried me to where I wanted to be in my life. During this transformation of my soul, I found an artist that happened to have the words and music so majestically and elaborately put together to correspond with emotions that I felt, that I thought no one else did. Her name is Amanda Palmer and her band was The Dresden Dolls. I started to follow her online periodically for a couple years which was very easy since she's constantly updating about her work.
The day came when she started going on tour, as a solo artist. And guess what city she was coming to? Miami! I had read online that when she tours, she ASKS her fans for a place to crash or for craft services in exchange for backstage passes. I had my good friend, Adam help me get in contact with her manager and I ASKED them that if they needed a place to crash in Miami, my doors would be open for Amanda Palmer and her whole crew. Surprisingly enough, the decision was made. She was couchsurfing at my house for 3 days along with her tour manager and the girl in charge of merch.
My family made arrangements to make them all as comfortable as possible. Although we didn't have much, we made sure to give them the best hospitality and comfort possible. She finally arrived and the experience was magical! Although they were very busy planning their tour and practicing, we still found the time to bond. We laughed, we ate, we took pictures, she autographed everything! But most importantly, we made a connection. And not just with me, but with my whole family as well. When our eyes would meet, there was a sense of awareness that we knew we exist. A sense of appreciation and gratitude in the most humbling way.
3 days passed and the day of the concert arrived. We all said our goodbyes as a family and off to the show we went. Not only was I showered with gifts but I got backstage passes for my friends and I. I helped shoot a video of the opening act and Amanda give me a shout out on stage! It was a dream come true. I even got her autograph on my lower back and had it tattooed. My first tattoo at that! It was the best experience of my life!
The years passed and I still followed her. She married Neil Gaiman and recently put out a new Album after dropping her record label and starting her own label with a new band called Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra. They did a kickstarter for their album. The goal was $100,000. She ended up raising almost 1.2 million dollars with just roughly 25000 donors. Suffice it to say, she made music HISTORY.
While all this is happening, I receive an email from Amanda's personal email ASKING permission to share our experience with the world on ted.com because the experience she had with my family and I was one that impacted her the most. Of course I said yes, but never in life did I expect to see the fruit of a seed that I planted with love and kindness prosper so beautifully. I honestly didn't know what it was like for her to stay with my family and I for 3 days. How did this experience change her? I have received an answer. And I present it to all of you. This is a talk she did for TED.COM. It's message is powerful and uplifting. It's an idea that we can all incorporate into everything we do. Enjoy and God bless.
http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking.html