Dream Big and Go for it!

Hey Everyone,

What do you want to do with your life? It’s a pretty daunting question. You got one go around, and you want to make it the best it can be. So what do you choose? What makes this one shot worth it all? In the most primitive sense it’s all about survival, and in the modern age that means money. So, logically, to make this life the best you can, you need to get your hands on as much of the green stuff as you can. Right? But you also want to make the money doing something that stimulates you and is rewarding. Now it gets complicated. How do you do both? How do you make money doing something you love? You could always marry someone rich. But that doesn’t always grantee happiness, right? This has been my dilemma for the past few years. I am a musician and a filmmaker, and have been toggling between the two trying to determine which is the “safer” path for a career. Now please understand I did say “safe-er” I do realize that both professions are a bit risky. You could say I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. But then again, rocks can be pretty shiny.

I have been playing music all my life, and have been writing songs with my twin brother Daniel since I was six. We are now in a band together called “The Bailen Brothers.” When I was in high-school, I got really into film, and when I had to decide where to go to college I was basically deciding whether to go into music (my life long passion) or film (a newly discovered passion). I decided to go to NYU film school, while my brother decided to go to the NYU jazz program. So we kept the band together, and I focused on film and him on music. Not a bad situation. I kind of had the best of both worlds. But I still felt like I had my hands in too many baskets. I was spreading myself too thin. I felt that in order to succeed the way I wanted to succeed, I needed to focus all my attention on what I really loved. Which was … ?

I spent he past six months in Florence, Italy studying abroad with the NYU Jazz program. Daniel was there too and we retooled the Bailen Brothers Band and got two weekly shows in the city center. It was the most fun playing music I have ever had. All the musicians really bonded, and each week we got tighter as a band, and the audiences got bigger. We were forced to change up the shows weekly, so we wrote a new song for each show along with learning new covers, and having themed nights where people dressed up.

I think maybe it was my experience in Florence, or possibly a dream I had where my two heroes Lennon and McCartney told me to follow my passion, that made me realized that what I truly wanted was to write songs with my brother and perform them. I want my music to flow through me and touch others the same way it affects me. To be completely honest I want the ears of the world, I want to perform for huge audiences, make millions of dollars, and live happily ever after! Selfish? But why not right? Dream big! I’m being honest because that is, in the shallowest sense of my dream, what I want. I want the ultimate; I want to stand at the highest point my imagination will take me. And why not? I think it’s all about being honest with yourself, and with what you want. I think that if your honest with yourself, it will show in whatever you do, and what you do will be more genuine for that.

So now that I know what I want, all that’s left is to DO it. And do it full force. Do whatever it takes to get to where you want to be. Work as hard as you possibly can, and you will see results. Now the summit might not always be obtainable in the end, but you’ll never regret trying to get to it with all your might. I think it’s important to live your life now, and not sit around waiting to live. Cliché but true!

So if you have followed my story, you might resent the following, which is a shameless request to help me along in my dream. But shameless self-promotion is part of my job. I’m still doing film, but I’m using it for my band! Here is a link to our most recent video. My band is trying to raise money for the new album and a U.S. tour through a website called kickstarter.com. Check it out, and thanks for taking the time to read my shpeal.

- David Bailen

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1579389413/the-bailen-brothers-new-album-tour-and-more

Check out our video!