#thomas starks

[thomasstarks-blog]

We had a great time last night at the Triple Door in Seattle for Arts Corps! And thanks so much to Dave Matthews for the support! What a night!

http://www.facebook.com/ThomasStarksMusic

[thomasstarks-blog]

What if...

    What if we took every plane in the world and equally divided them between every nation, would we have enough pilots? What if we integrated all of our resources from the most useful to the least and decided they were all of value, would we be able to logically choose if a banana is as important as fossil and electric fuels? What if we closed our eyes and saw only dark, and the only way to see would be by the assistance of someone else, would anyone come to aide?     The truth is, we are already in this type of scenario. Granted planes, trains, and automobiles are not being dolled out to every country, but it seems disaster and tragedy are. We have seemingly shifted into a stage of financial confusion and global meltdown. But it also seems we are in a very unique time in our world, we have a chance to fix it. And we can start at the lowest levels, where the mind meets the philosophies of common decency and equal and fair trade. All it takes is time and dedication to community. I am no saint by any means, but neither were those who came before me, who had the chance to instill in me the hope that I could succeed at what I put my mind too, no matter the odds, and truly these odds have been great.     I have spent the majority of my own life trying to cope with an event in my adolescence that has affected almost every choice I made up until just a few years ago. I found myself in community service of those who needed it, and the voids in my own life began to fill. True, it may not be ideal for everyone the path I chose to take, but in service to your country, community, and even neighborhood, we can take back what was lost. I bear physical scars on my own body due to the mishandling of those whom would care for me as a youth, and in understanding their financial, emotional, and physical limitations, I have learned forgiveness and courage. In that process, it has allowed me to move into a space of vocal support for agencies and programs such as “Seattle Arts Corps”.     As a teaching artist, I am afforded the opportunity to grasp onto the positive lessons I have learned and attempt to instill a sense of care for one’s own goals and aspirations. It also teaches me to be an active part of change for the better, one chord at a time. As I said before, my chosen service may not be what you may choose, but I assure you, there IS a place for you somewhere, no matter how little or how much you have or own. To those receiving it, it’s simply a matter of “Time.” You give of your time, and what you get back cannot be simply described with words, it has to been seen.     In performing community service, who knows, we may just get that shot at having a runway in every nation, a school in every town, and a belief that what we have is never truly ours, but is simply in our care for the next generation and it is our duty to make sure they are equipped to handle what may come their way.

Thomas Starks

http://www.artscorps.org/index.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arts-Corps/50654600097

[thomasstarks-blog]

Sifting Through the Confusion

         We are born into confusion. We are either taught how to deal with it, or we learn it along the way, the latter method is always the tougher road. Often times, if we are forced to learn it past the adolescent stages of life, the tools we use are rougher, less complimentary to others, and unintentionally harmful. It’s not that we can’t feel pain like those who have had support, it’s that we don’t know it’s pain yet, the fire is brighter than the theoretical wounds they inflict, until we know it hurts. This is also the case in vocation. I myself have chosen this life, much like a line in the song by Dan Fogelberg...”Leader of The Band” ....He states so clearly...”My brothers lives are different...for they heard another call...” I heard the call of music and a life quite transient. True it’s a vocation of pirates and heartbeats, but it’s where I flourished. After trying so many other things, after sifting through the confusion. I promised myself that I would never write or play anything that didn’t mean something to me, this weeks blog means a great deal to me. You see, in the confusion, I have managed to somehow grab hold of my own intentions in my chosen profession. Amidst the shows, the media, and the hype, I wanted to always be real, and stay real. It is my great honor to have been nominated in this years “King 5: Best of Western Washington’s” competition. It’s not validation that I exist or that I am a better human being, it’s simply a way point, to know where I am in the confusion and chaos of life. And I bring it to you, in thanks and gratitude, and like I said, I will not ever write what I don’t believe in, so know this, in your chosen profession, are you sifting through the confusion...or simply waiting? Either way, it’s better to know you are actively trying, than waiting for someone to validate you, that my friend can only come from you.

http://best.king5.com/thomas-starks/biz/584677

Respect and thanks to Seattle, Thomas Starks