Full Circle Moment

Over the past few years, I’ve heard stories from others about their lives coming full circle. From accomplishing goals, working with an inspiration of theirs, or appearing at the same place with more meaning; no matter what the case was I always took the time to look back & see if too had experienced a moment of something coming ‘full circle.’

I never thought anything of great significance would ever happen to me. One could look at my life right now & say that’s still the case besides being present a show or two one might’ve missed. Other than that I always assumed my life would consist of following the dreams my parents had set for me, get married, have children.. The same old thing that is expected of a Mexican American daughter.

When I disappointed my parents & decided to change my major in college, it was for something that my Mama had unknowingly instilled in me; my passion for writing. At the time, I thought I’d print books of poetry or write stories of how I grew up or wished life was growing up. I wanted to inspire, paint a picture of what life could be & all that comes with reading. The thought of pursuing journalism crossed my mind but I didn’t fully grasp that idea until later.

Writing was a habit I inherited from my Mama, whether it is in my blood or from watching her over the years write letters to her sisters & penpals. (Yeah, like actually sending letters with envelopes & stamps.) Music was something that I was always surrounded by being that I was raised in a Mexican American household I heard it all, from oldies to banda & as I got older hip-hop & boy bands.

I was always told writing is a thankless job, to solely seek it for personal reasons because it wasn’t going to make me enough money to live off of.  When I was in college I spoke of being in radio/music industry & somehow combining that dream with writing, my teachers would ask how & ultimately say that it couldn’t be done. I knew they were wrong though. The feeling that I held within my gut was much stronger than their negative responses. Their questions did help spark ideas though, so it was alright sometimes. It was enough to push me, not stop me.

I knew I’d eventually end up writing for some sort of publication or website & if it wasn’t a well-known one, then I’d eventually create my own. (Ta-da!) I didn’t realize that my writing skills could help to eventually begin to build a name for myself within the music industry. (Not to say that I have already, because that’s not the case yet at all.) Fast forward 3 years & I’m writing for two blogs AltCorner.com & RosecransAve.com. Both unknowingly growing my confidence & allowing me to become closer to my favorite artists.

Now let’s get to the part where it all comes back full circle…

Since RosecransAve.com is LA-based it’s easier for me to be more involved with them. My Rosecrans Team is more than a team to me, they’re my family full of older brothers that have given me the opportunity to strengthen my passions in writing, radio, interviews, events & whatever else we have up our sleeve; all the while doing my best to represent the brand at all times while helping it grow to the best potential.

Because of Rosecrans, I’ve discovered various artists & their music, become great friends with sed artists, & have gotten recognized on a few occasions. Although I feel I can do more, I try to involve myself as much as possible whenever I can.

On March 1st, my boss texted me asking if I was familiar with an artist by the name of Caleborate & if I was interested in covering his show that upcoming Friday. Being a fan of his music & I said yes with no hesitation then he said, “Want to interview him too?”

It was the most nerve-wracking drive to Los Angeles that I had ever taken. The drive was the same; the same playlist at full blast with my camera at the ready to vlog just in case. I had gotten used to going to shows alone since I hardly have friends with the same taste in music, but this time I was alone with my nervous thoughts & all that could go wrong during this interview.

I arrived at The Union for the first time ever in awe of the graffiti art that covered the walls outside. A line had formed already & I was starred at as I made my way to the end of it, alone. I tried not to but I couldn’t help but overhear conversations of others as we waited to be searched by security, it was a slight distraction but didn’t help much. As I entered the venue I made my way to the back in hopes of getting a better view of the whole crowd.

The energy of the show was amazing, from the openers to when Caleborate began. Fans with their cell phones in the air belting out each lyric as he hopped along the stage. He truly worked off the crowds’ energy & did an amazing job that night.

As the show ended, I sat on the stage & waited for the line of fans to get their pictures with Caleborate. As he conversed with each fan & signed everything they asked of him, time kept passing & my nervousness grew. As the last fan left the venue our interview began…

Caleborate is one of the most chill artists I have ever met. Smiling hugely as he greeted me saying, “I saw you sitting over there, so sorry to keep you waiting.” He broke the ice well & calmed me without realizing, allowing the ‘fangirl’ in me to disappear for a bit while I read off some questions that I had prepared.

It turned out to be an amazing conversation that I will never forget. We spoke of his inspirations, what he wants his fans to take away from his music, & certain collaborations that had come about. I mentioned the first time I heard of his music was when I was sent his “Make Me & Take Me” track. Without even realizing the significance of that track until later on that night…

As I made my way home I felt so accomplished, almost as if everything will slowly come together for me. There was a possibility of making an actual career out of interviewing my favorite artists, getting to ask the questions that fans want the answers to, my imagination was soaring like crazy..

While transcribing the interview that night, I was brought back to being introduced Caleborate’s music.. After a bit of research, I realized the track “Make Me & Take Me” was the very first song that was sent to me via Rosecrans Ave along with being the first blog post for the site back in July of 2017!

Life came full circle…

You can’t read or hear that interview anywhere though. It never made the cut to be posted, but I still have it transcribed along with the audio saved on my computer. Kind of discouraging a bit but I tried to look at the positives from the experience. It truly encouraged me to be better, not only within my writing but also with the energy that I bring toward interviews. It gave me an opportunity to realize how I need to calm my inner ‘fangirl’ & take the focus away from what I want to ask & think of what the fans & our readers want to know.

After this full circle moment, I’ve come to realize that life has come full circle quite a few times within the past few months. To say the least, it’s been a mind-fuck each time it happens but we’ll talk about those times later… To more full circle moments.. (Along with more blogs posts on this site.)