I never have been good at prayer. I learned the motions at an early age, and I was certainly genuine in my attempts. I’m not sure that any child can truly grasp the concept of prayer—honestly, I’m not sold that most adults do, either. And especially not this adult.

Prayer is a deep, sometimes internal process, often characterized in the form of monologue or conversation, with whatever / whoever one believes. From what I can gather, prayer’s intention is to spiritually ground an individual, bringing them closer to their creator and providing serenity.

Juxtaposing that to the religious muscle-memory that I recreated right before I went to sleep each night, I would say that I missed it. First, I noticed, being the typical individualistic-minded fellow I am, I was the focus of my prayers. And they primarily followed the same routine, too: thanks for the stuff, and please hook me up. And my friends and family too, of course. I’d like to pretend that it was larger than that, but when I stripped down the excessive and repetitive phrases, the half-hearted generalizations that coincidentally always benefited me, and the occasional world peace requests, that’s all there was.

Secondly, it was always right before I went to sleep. I can’t stay awake in a bed for longer than ten minutes, regardless of how much sleep I’ve had. Add a full workday, workout, and late night run, and I’m usually spent before I could even get to those self-centered requests. Maybe that was a good thing, after all.

And lastly, all of the positive effects of prayer were hidden behind the subconscious nag to make sure I snuck one in every night. Somewhere down the road, be it media, a church, etc., I had such a mental brainfart to internalize the concept that God would punish me if I didn’t slip out one of my selfish prayers at least once a day. Apparently, in my childish way of thinking: a prayer a day keeps the devil away.

And it’s only taken me twenty-one years to fully realize that prayer is an action. Prayer is not a rehearsed sequence of combined phrases and constant “Oh Gods, Lords, Most Holy, etc.” Prayer is an action. And sometimes that action is a non-action, like a reflection or meditation. I am not saying that prayer is to be an action in terms of one’s activity / involvement in communication. What I am saying is that we are always in communication with our creator, and all our actions have the capability of becoming prayer.

Up until now, my understanding of prayer was incredibly rationalized and ritualized, to the point that even my genuine attempts were inherently bastardized. My god’s communication to me is constant: not as an individual, but as a piece to something larger that I embrace and reciprocate through my actions. And my recognition of that, my understanding and separation of “what is” and “what was taught,” has allowed me to contribute more fully to that “larger something.” 

And it is that connection to the “larger something” that I believe is precisely prayer itself. The acknowledgement of relationships, all entwined and interwoven consciously in a way that, the moment we try to verbalize it, we lose the breadth of its immensity. It’s like speaking about the ocean, or describing a song or dance. Let it be enough to know that this connection to that “larger something” is centered in all of us, and our ability to recognize that in all of our actions is truly prayerful.  

Another semester is over, and there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel. I’m only three semesters away from having that double-degree; I’ve had my head in the dirt so long I nearly forgot what all this work is for. And now, when I can see that I’m only a calendar away from getting out of this tunnel, I must say that it’s not all bad being stuck up in here.

I’m not hesitant to move forward; I look forward to the opportunities and challenges that are coming up. But by no means am I rushing it. This has been an unbelievable experience, and ever-so-slowly is it all shaping up to be better than I imagined.

This summer I’ve been given an opportunity to research a particular subcultural development for a presentation I am giving in San Diego next April. God bless the Belmont Sociology Department for providing such opportunities.

But even more exciting than that, this summer is going to be all about playing. I get to read, watch movies, play piano, paint, and hang out with some great people. If that will translate to a more frequently updated blog, I don’t know. But I’m crossing my fingers on it!

So cheers to the summer and the blog entries that will soon follow! It’s going to be an exciting time, I can already tell. 

Working with Belmont Residence Life, the Art Department, the Sociology Department, University Ministries, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Kevin Barbieux, and good friend Drew Achiele, we were able to expose the realities of homelessness within our community and bring a face to a people who need it most.

We had over 150 people in attendance for our initial opening Wednesday, and an additional 70 Belmont students came to hear “the Homeless Blogger Kevin Barbieux tell his personal story with chronic homelessness. Kevin, a well-dressed, well-groomed, college-educated man brought so much to our student body with his stories and personality. The photos told a story, and Kevin brought made it a reality for all of us.

Perspectives, the name of the exhibit, will tour six different churches within Nashville in collaboration with Mobile Loaves and Fishes. I will post the exhibit schedule as soon as it becomes available. If you have the opportunity to see the exhibit, please do!

But in case you can’t, I will soon have a collection of pictures available for you shortly.

But what has been on my mind recently, and by recently I mean the last three years, is what is to come of the music industry. Seeing as I currently work in the business as both a media campaign specialist and artist manager, I’ve invested much of my time toward and industry that appears to many as a sinking ship. I’m not going to fool you in saying that the state of affairs is not worrisome, and I assure you that everyone invested is anxious to see what will come of this change.

And I’d like to give my two cents on this issue:

First thing’s first: music is not going anywhere. Fact: more people are consuming to music now than ever before. Fact: the possibility of consuming music is nearly infinite. Fact: the resources capable of developing a sustainable career can be acquired without huge monetary investments and pushy corporations.

So where’s the hang up? The assets of the music industry, when developed and marketed conventionally, no longer generate comparable revenues to years past. Michael Jackson celebrated the 25th anniversary, winning album of the year and eventually selling 27 million albums; this year’s album of the year (by the man- Herbie Hancock) has sold about 60,000 copies. And while there is no more deserving artist than Herbie, I don’t think he’s going to make it.

The old model worked fabulously. . . until 1999. The major players within this industry are a guilty as any by stubbornly failing to acknowledge the possibilities and consequences of technology. Even now, some are out there, trying desperately to hold onto the ways of old. Those fossils will become exactly that.

To their credit, these consolidated mega corporations probably could have simply prolonged the inevitable with a better game plan and a greater lobbying effort.

There has been a redistribution in power, and the game has changed. The field is completely different, which has caused the rules to change. And when the rules change, you have to play the game differently. You used to break an artist into mainstream markets going for ads in radio airwaves; now you cross your fingers hoping to get your artist on the next Apple commercial.

We have to acknowledge the ties between these institutions (thanks Durkheim) that will play a critical role in defining my generation’s music industry. How does the internet, radio, movie, social network, blogosphere, and countless others all contribute to this new model? Who are now the gatekeepers, and what are the economics of this new effort?

Here’s where I’ll leave off, because I’m hard at work finding the answer. And I’m not alone in that. But you can be assured that, regardless of when that answer is found, we’ll all still be listening to music somehow and someway.

• While I can’t go into specific details yet, I have my first job representing a local artist. This is huge, and the talent is even bigger- I will proudly release a press release in the coming week.

Please bear with me, as the information should get a lot better (and more frequent) in the months to come. Music is on the way!

I just wanted to remind everyone that I have a show tomorrow. Below are the details:

WHERE: Trinity Presbyterian Church (3201 Hillsboro Pike)
WHEN: January 18th 7:00 PM
DONATION: Article of clothing

Can’t wait to see you!

As a benefit to the Mobile Loaves and Fishes campaign in Nashville, Hana Wishy, Micah Oelze, and I will be playing at Trinity Presbyterian Church. I will upload the time and directions of the show shortly. Get it on the calendar: it’s going to be great!

Happy Holidays!

-W.K. Cash Forshee

The dust has settled, and the semester has ended. This semester was tough for me: a class schedule that pushed me, a greater role at Trinity Presbyterian Church, an internship, the stresses of being and R.A., and struggles on where I want to be when I exit Belmont. Also, the looming thoughts of my roommate leaving at semester (I’ll miss you, Rich) made everyday feel like a ticking time bomb till I lost one of my best friends.

I stacked my plate very high but managed to sneak a little fun in there, as well. My 21st birthday, meeting Stevie Wonder, and making a lot of new friends all contributed to the same semester. I’ve come out of this dust exhausted and refreshed: tired from all of the work, but also a tremendous new aspiration to keep following my dreams.

I don’t know what those dreams are, but the picture seems to get less blurry every semester. Isn’t that what college is for?

And while I’m enjoying the few weeks I have with family, Alyssa, and friends, I’m excited about the upcoming semester. I’ll have new classes, a new roommate, a new role as an R.A., and I’m sure a ton of new things along the way. This is going to be good- I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.