So I wrote a profile on Ray Brown for Issue 5.
I'm totally stoked about it; I mean obviously it could have been a lot better, but I'm learning a bunch of new things here and there.
This guy has my dream job though [aside from writing movie scores], I mean seriously, so awesome. All jazz all the time. That's the way to live, for sure.
Anyway, it was interesting process, writing this article. It was significantly longer than my past articles have been, and it was cool to have a page all to myself. I learned a lot just from the interview in general. I mean, when you tell people you want to have an interview, they don't think you're messing around at all. I mean seriously! It's like, people I've spoken to in the past, that I can make jokes with and have conversations with on any regular day, just don't want to deal with it during an interview. It's like they want to get it over with, without saying anything "bad", and then just be on their way. It was really odd dealing with that.

But with this, I learned that I need to work on my "professional" image.
Honestly, I don't really have one, and I lack the skills necessary to develop one. Or, better term, I lack the knowledge of how to develop one.
I don't own nice clothing, I'm not well-tempered, and I feel like, whenever I'm in a "professional" situation, I'm being completely fake. I feel like I'm not being true to myself, and that just bothers me. I don't like portraying someone I'm not just to be "approved" by someone's stupid standards.
However, if I ever want to get ahead in this world, I should probably start learning how to kiss ass.
I should probably dress nicer, care about my appearance, at least slightly....and, I don't know, be more...polite? Timid? Butt-kiss-y?
I don't feel as though I'm not a successful person....on paper I'm fantastic. I have good grades, lots of awards, I've done community service....but when people meet me they just get immediately turned off.
I'm too loud, or too obnoxious, or too weird. I don't know, I don't fit in with the majority of society, and I guess that's something I'll need to work on when I get out into the "real world."

Any ideas?