Where is my heart? Well I have one word to describe where my heart is, and that word is music. Playing music, seeing a live shows of my favorite bands, playing in a band with my best friends, having crazy experiences, talking about music, meeting other bands that I’ve played with, sharing music, playing the same song that speaks to me when I’m upset over something until I’m over it, etc. All of it that comes along with playing an instrument and expressing yourself and sharing a message through song. My parents always supported my music, they got me my first bass guitar in 7th grade, and signed me up for lessons. After a while of taking lessons, they eventually signed me up for something called Rock Workshop at the Madison Music Foundry. They payed for the foundry to set me up with a band, learn how to work with other musicians, write music with others, and giving me the experience of recording. Without this program, I would have never met my best friends and essentially brothers of Boulderfist (now Under Waves). In my 3 1/2 years with this band I’ve made some of the best friends a dude could ask for, I’ve had the opportunity to do what I love for quite a while, I’ve had the best times of my life, and lastly I’ve learned a lot about the music industry itself. Down the road this band will probably split and we all go our separate ways, but the experience I’ve gotten, the great friends I’ve made, the hard times I’ve gotten through with the help of playing music, and most importantly the fun I’ve had will help me on my endeavors in the future. It just shows you that music creates probably the biggest community out there. Music has the power to bring so many people with so many talents together. It also give photographers a chance to practice their art form. It gives artists a way to get their works out into the public whether it’s designing show posters, t-shirt designs, album artwork, etc. There are just so many things that I can’t even think of at the moment that one can do to help the music scenes in their area thrive.

Most importantly, music is a way of leaving behind things that trouble you in your life by writing about it and playing night after night and just leaving it all behind and expressing yourself. It also is a way to connect with people because maybe they can connect to a lyric or a guitar riff or something that speaks to them and possibly even help them through a rough time. I know for me their are certain songs that remind me of loved ones who have passed, or a certain good memory that I think of every time that I hear it, or some songs that get me pumped up for something big that’s going, and there are songs that I listen to when I want to relax and just forget about the problems in my life. Music can be a way of therapy for some people. It just amazes me how a person can hold so much emotion over a certain song or a memory of a live show because it touched their lives and possibly healed them, inspired them to make a change/reach a goal/start a movement, or even just make people think. All it is is sound waves, yet they have the power to cause every emotion under the sun and also the power to unite a community of people with common goals and stories.

On somewhat of a side note, I just wanted to thank my parents for supporting me while I explored a new hobby that could have just been a phase without their support.. I’ve seen a new light and I’ve found my calling. I’ve never been happier. I owe my mom and dad the world for that. Music is were my heart will forever be and I’ll never stop playing it. Whether I’m playing a shows while I’m young, or when I’m to old to perform I’ll just play acoustically around the house for fun, I’ll be playing music until the day I die.

As I’m receiving more volunteers and starting to dive into the funding that was raised, I really owe a huge thanks to my friends and family who helped me out with this project so much. They helped promote, hang posters, and generally spread the word about Spill, and I couldn’t have gotten this far alone.

A few personal thanks to everybody who helped fund the project. You guys really put me in a place that made me feel like this is something worth doing, and I couldn’t have asked for anything greater.

A huge thank you to:
Kimberly Gachnang, Ben Baeb, Leah Mancl, Megan Nault, Kyle Pfister, Matt Kern, Ali, Melissa Daughenbaugh, Chris Frutiger, Tanner Gregory, Julie Kramer, Alex Heinecke, Thomas Borges, Kayla Dunnkay, Mark Keller, Josh Sheehan, Doug Beasley, Prairie Kramer, and Michelle Poquette

Look out for more updates and stories to be published, I’m getting momentum started for wonderful things with this project!

-Van

My heart is with my friends. Friendship is the most important thing to me. A true friend gives you a feeling that nothing else can compare to in my mind. Someone you know won’t judge you, or do you any wrong. Someone you know will support you no matter what decision you make. I feel if anyone wants to better themselves in the easiest way possible, be a better friend. Be the best friend you can be. Friendship is everything to me. It’s where my heart is.

Where is my heart? I find that to be either a long and extremely off topic story that somehow all makes sense in the most uncomplicated way or an uncharted destination. I feel that my heart has been formed by the life that I have lived, the people that have raised me, and the friends that have carved me out. To define what our heart really is in a sentence is usually scientific, spiritual, or conceptual. To me my heart is the force that reckons within me. It tells me what is right, what is wrong, where I should go, what I should do, and what do I truly love.

I grew up with an extremely loving family that formed the morals that I hold dear. We had our ups and downs, life wasn’t perfect, but at the same time for me, it was perfect. I was taught to give and ask for nothing in return. My character was formed by the friends that I chose to collaborate with on a daily basis. My faith was renewed through my own experiences. The only thing that was never really given to me was motivation. Motivation is what truly drives me to do what I do today.

I am easily intrigued by so many things. I feel like this is something that I was born with. I was always the kind of person to take things apart, rebuild them, recreate them, or even just attempt to create something from nothing. I never was an artist by any means and I still think that today. I am no better than anyone else I know. Music has definitely set anchor in my life, but I don’t see myself as an artist in that. I am just “another”. Plain and simple.

I tend to seek out how things work, how things move, how things do what they do. I am curious by nature and that is definitely something that I was born with. I feel that this anxiousness for answers drives me and motivates me to keep moving forward and seek what is true. Without motivation what do we have? Where would we go? I am not sure where I would be without it. I feel that this supernatural motivation has brought me to what I truly love to do and who I truly love. The coolest part about it is that it never stops. It just keeps progressing. It keeps growing. It keeps moving. That is where my heart is. My heart is moving. Its taking me to people I never would have met, to places I never would have gone and to live a life I never would have lived if I would have just stayed at home.

Melissa’s heart, my heart.  Where is it, and where do I even begin?  I think this is an incredible question that we should ask ourselves on daily basis.  Where is your heart?  What are you putting your dedication and passions into?  Who are your actions affecting?  Are you where you want to be?  The heart is such a mind-blowing thing in the sense that its a physical thing you can touch, but does so many untouchable things.

This year has been quite challenging for me, but wonderful in so many aspects.  I feel like I am finally settling into my own skin, and falling in love with this darling soul God has placed inside my fragile bones. There have also been so many changes that I have gone through, and situations I have found myself in that I never thought I would.  Somehow in these painful times I have found incredible beauty too.  I have never felt so inspired or encouraged to become a better person.  It’s like my eyes have been opened; I’m finally awake.  I’m finally seeing things differently and “letting others in.”  It’s such a blessing to have friends who have become my family…and a family that is always praying and encouraging each other.

People.  My heart is in the people that I surround myself with.  Whether it’s a stranger I’ve randomly met one night, or a someone I’ve known my whole life who is always on my mind.  It’s the people who are passionate about life and the things they do, and the person they are striving to become.  It’s in that heavy heartfelt song you feel your favorite artist has written just for you.  Or maybe it’s that random message you’ve received from a new friend putting themselves out there just to legitimately get to know you more.  My heart is in finding genuine people who are constantly trying to love on others and better themselves.

I may not know what I want to do with my life, or where I’m going.  My goals over time are certainly going to change and rearrange.  Passion is the lifeblood inside my heart and that’s what I’ve always followed.  It’s been a difficult journey finding out who my real friends are, and making sure I’m not a part of some ulterior motive. However, I know I’m pouring myself into the friends and family who I know will embrace me and the person that I’m striving to become.  It’s not about finding out who we are, but putting our time and passion into creating a person we want to be.  Life is and incredibly epic and precious thing we are blessed with.  I want my heart to invade the ones that I hold dear, and inspire those who maybe just briefly passing through my life.  This is only a little to say about where my heart is, but I think it’s a beautiful start.