Building A Colorful Life Through Education, Interests, and A Diverse Set of Identities

Give me your elevator pitch and tell me who you are in 5 minutes. Tough, isn’t it? It’s a great question for networking events, but does it really paint a full picture of who we are? Throughout life, we experience a diverse set of identities that represent a significant chapter within our lives. Some identities are temporary while others fuel our curiosity and mark our greatest achievements. Our identities inspire us to seek knowledge, lean on education, and create opportunities to build a colorful life. In today’s episode I reflect on the value of living a full life, creating memorable moments through education, and discovering joy through variety.

Stay curious and enjoy the variety of life.

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Transcript

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How’s it everyone, my name is Mike Cabuco, and welcome to another episode of the Love Notes for Life podcast, your creative space for amplifying greatness through gratitude.

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 Education is a peculiar thing, isn’t it?

You either love it or you feel like you’re forced to do it to the point that you just don’t know what to do with it. Personally, I love education. But if you asked me how I felt on my first day of college, to be honest with y’all, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. And if we flip back to the beginning pages of my college experience, it actually started in the most unexpected ways. My engineering degree actually started with music.

So, imagine y’all, it was the summer after I graduated from high school, and I already knew that I was going to attend UC Davis in the Fall. Go aggies and for whatever crazy reason, maybe due to my innate ability to be obsessive with goals, I was still trying to force my way into the music industry. At the time, Myspace music was still the rage and YouTube was barely the juggernaut that it is today. And the social media landscape was still the wild-wild west and if you had a crazy idea that could go viral, the barriers to entry were fairly non-existent and you, yes you, my friend, could be a superstar overnight. Or…at least popular, all for the right or wrong reasons. So, at the time my dream was to be a musician. I was so into Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, and all those acoustic singer-songwriters that graced the soft hits radio stations. I envisioned myself playing acoustic gigs at coffee shops all over northern California and I dreamed about releasing records that could resonate through the hearts of small-town America. Ambitious right? But it was a dream nonetheless and I enjoyed writing songs from the heart, even though 9 out of 10 of them were pretty much songs for a hopeless romantic. Yet, with limited resources, I found creative ways to serve the sound of music.

Now, I didn’t have a part time job, but my parents were kind enough to loan me a little bit of cash on the side to rig up the cheapest music studio ever. So, I don’t know if familiar with this, but do you remember those tabletop mics that looked like a pointer stick? You know? Those old school mics that they used to use for teleconferencing. Yea, I agree they were pretty ghetto but in my eyes, it was a solution to my lack of funding and I would use that mic in harmony with the free sound recording software that was loaded on Windows. And it was pretty makeshift, and I would record my tracks one by one.

So, what I’d do would be I’d first lay down the guitar track first. And then, I’d play the guitar track back, through my computer speakers, and then record over it with the vocals. And, oh yea, for sure, there was plenty of noisy feedback, and then for the drums, I had a small keyboard that could play drum loops, so I’d find a way to integrate that track within the master output or the overall sound production. Unfortunately, the drum loops were very limited so all my songs either sounded like 80’s power ballads or Brazilian bossa nova, you pick, your choice but don’t trip because I made it work! But yea, it was super ghetto, but I was definitely proud of my setup for what’s it worth.

Eventually, I would continue this endeavor into my first year at UC Davis, but with more ammo because this time I had a part time job. So, after I got my first paycheck, some of it would go to paying for my college loans and the rest would go to funding my dream recording studio. And as the months progressed, I turned my bedroom into a budget sound studio. I mean, I had the works. Soundproof foam panels. Check. Condenser recording mic. Check. And a mean mixer board that could record multiple audio-tracks this time around. Check. Check. And Check! I was finally jamming, and I had everything that I needed to finally go pro. Yea okay!

And in between the chaos of college and studying until my eyebrows burned off, I would set aside time to record music. Eventually, I made a 10-track demo album that I released on Myspace music and I know what you’re all thinking right now and you’re probably trying to Google search it out of curiosity, but you might as well give up because it’s now just a lovely memory that I wiped off the face of the internet. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely proud of it, but it was no way ready for primetime and that’s the things with creativity. And I can also sum it up into two sayings.

The first saying goes: Your first draft will never be your final.

And the second saying is: Don’t polish a turd and fall in love with it.

Well, that’s art school 101 for you. I definitely heard those two sayings over and over again throughout my entire art education. But there’s a lot of value in those two statements. Typically, and statistically, your first attempt at anything oftentimes falls flat and if that wasn’t the case then we’d all be perfect human beings from the beginning. And, while the whole side music project thing was fun, I really needed to get back on track with engineering. Surprisingly, I never thought it would happen, but I eventually caught myself actually almost falling in love with it.

And this whole change in behavior was indeed quite strange because when I was freshman all these engineering classes just did not compute. I really couldn’t connect well with the topics because the language of engineering was so foreign to me. However, once I hit my junior year, things were starting to get more digestible, and I was doing a hell of a lot better in my classes. My GPA was getting better, and I finally stopped with the negative self-talk and dropped this whole “I’m not an engineer dude” attitude, and I realized that I didn’t really need to have an engineering background to actually enjoy engineering.

Mind you, I was surrounded by nerds, plenty of them, which was a good thing! I mean, my friends and colleagues were already way into engineering way before they got into college. I, on other hand, was drawing, playing music, and sneaking hours upon hours of playing video games. Yet, the more I allowed myself to enjoy engineering, the more I could see that this career field could be something fun to do. Now, in all honesty, I was still perplexed about what to expect after college, but I felt like I was slowly getting somewhere. So, I continued with my gut feeling and took really fun classes like quantum physics and semiconductor design. And it was all starting to make sense and engineering finally became something that I learned to love.

And then the day came when I finally graduated. Thank God! There was a lot of celebration, but at the time I just remember feeling so drained. On the other hand, I could see that my family was super happy for me. Yet, all I could focus on was summer and the freedom of not spendings hours upon hours of studying and taking test designed for people who had a knack for memorizing the encyclopedia. I was done with education, and I couldn’t see myself going back to school ever again. Done deal, or was it?

Never say never.

Education is a funny thing because as much as you push it way, life finds a way to bring it back.

Life finds a way. Education finds a way. Yea, who said that again in Jurassic Park? Oh, yea it was uh, Jeff Goldblum. Yup. Dr. Iain Malcom. Not sure why I said that in a horrible British accent and just like that, education would sprinkle its magical fairy pixie dust over the different chapters of my life and build up a sort of tough layer like a green ogre’s skin. Why thank you Shrek! And in between all the movie references and pop culture collective coincidences I found myself with a diverse set of identities.

The engineer, the artist, and the athlete. And one could assume that they all shared nothing in common. Yet, when we peel back the onion layers, they’re all actually more similar than one could imagine.

But let’s start at the beginning. Let’s start with the engineer.

So real talk, after I graduated from UC Davis, I still didn’t have a strong idea of what the day job was going to entail. I guess, I had this notion that I’d still be wiring up breadboards or making LEDs light up or something or I don’t know maybe even engage in some heavy mathematical computations to solve the mystery of life. Well, spoiler alert. It ain’t like that and here’s the thing, if you think there’s a substantial difference in work between a small company and a big company, well not really. It’s all about the same, except with better pay and benefits, a little bit more responsibility, and hopefully if you’re lucky like me, an amazing and fun work environment.

And so far, my day job has always revolved around three factors: design, communication, and problem solving. Every day, I’m involved in designing products that solves a customer’s needs and, most importantly, I communicate those ideas through drawings, notes, and collaborating with the rest of my team. And that’s the fun part. The going back and forth and discussing better ways to implement a design, sell an idea, or even come up with something brand spanking new. And, in a nutshell, it’s not so different from being an artist.

So after a few years into my engineering career, I started to connect the dots that I could apply my design experience towards my artistic endeavors. I would spend the next few years taking night classes, going back to school for art, and getting better at drawing and digital sculpting. However, my art experience eventually expanded into learning more about the human figure. I fell in love with drawing people, drawing portraits, and finding ways to express body movement through line and gesture. I wanted to learn more, and I even spent multiple years studying anatomy and its application towards capturing the spirit of the human figure.

And just like engineering, the day job of a concept artist followed the methodology of design, communication, and problem solving. In animation and film, you’d typically start with a brief, a design constraint or a problem to solve. For example, what do the characters look like based on their environment? Or is it a sci fi movie or a fantasy world based in the wild-wild west? These were questions that would drive the concept art, but it was up to you to conceptualize the ideas through sketches and paintings. And the key to the entire design process was to communicate ideas effectively through clarity. So that’s where the technical skills come into play because a napkin sketch can only go so far. It’s a great starting point between the artist and the director, but eventually it needs to bloom into a finished product that the general audience can enjoy. And I’ve held both identities as an engineer and concept artist for a while now and I can attest that both vocations thrive through design, communication, and problem solving.

Which brings to my last identity, the athlete.

I truly believe that pursuing sports is a creative endeavor. I know, it’s not often labeled as such, but if you’re into sports, it’s hard to deny the creativity. I mean, consider this, think about an athlete you look up to. There are moments in their game where they really shine as a creative. I mean, for me immediately I think of Steph Curry from the Golden State Warriors. On a good night in the NBA he’s in the zone, shooting 3 pointers left and right and his confidence is on fire. You can tell when he’s having a good night because he often just steps back, shoots the ball, and looks away because he knows that ball is going in the net. Swish. And if you remember the glory days of FC Barcelona during Pep Guardiola’s time as manager, you’d get a chance to watch one of the best displays of soccer as an art form. All the players were so connected at the time, and it was like watching a bunch of artists create a masterpiece on the pitch. All that tiki-taka movements made soccer so entertaining, and it definitely inspired generations afterwards.

And as a strength-based athlete in bodybuilding, I’ve sought out plenty of educational experiences to help me improve my game. It became more than just eat this and just go to the gym. There were actually multiple layers of creativity when it came down to nutrition and training. For me, I enjoyed expanding my knowledge in exercise science and learning more about strength, conditioning, and sports nutrition. I applied all these new concepts to my training blocks and was able to document real-time progress and adjust when necessary. I learned how to design different types of mesocycles based on what phase I was in. I started to change my vocabulary and my perspective on how to approach fitness through a sport specific perspective. It was all there just like in engineering and in art. Design, communication, and problem solving once again was at the forefront of being an athlete and it further confirmed the undeniable creative connection.

Education and curiosity helped me expand my creative identities and refine the person I am today. Also, it made me think about the titles and labels we place on ourselves. I’ve always found it extremely difficult to sum up who I am in 140 characters or less. I mean, when I look at my social media bio, it seems like a decent start and in fact, it’s probably perfect as an introduction, but I’d argue that these overarching titles does not paint a complete picture. Sure, they define what matters most to us in the present time and for some of us they also define our greatest achievements. However, I think it’s important to realize the limitations of labels and the value in knowing that you and I got a lot of other good things going on outside of the box that the world places us in.

Trust me when I say this, you are more than what you’re known for. Let that one sink in. I believe, even if I’ve never met you properly, that you are more than what you are known for. And it’s not that I’m belittling our greatest achievements, but it’s a vital reminder, that when we leave the office for the day, whether it be a building, an airplane, a gym, or even a soccer field, that it’s important to know that you are more than what you’re known for. And when we step back and look at all these personas that we’ve lived, some still present in our lives and some maybe have faded away, I think we can all step back and say that we’ve got a lot of magic left in us to last a lifetime and our curiosity will continue to shape our overall identity.

In life, we’ll experience different levels of interests, and even maybe pursue different types of goals, but in the end, what will stick with us are the memories of who we were, who we are, and who we choose to be. That’s the beauty of leaning into what makes us feel alive. And that’s the privilege of curiosity, life’s built-in driver towards pursuing knowledge and becoming who were meant to be.

So, as I reflect on my diverse set of identities today, I can proudly say:

I am an engineer. I am an artist. And I am an athlete. But most importantly, we are whoever we want to be.

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Thanks, y’all for tuning in to another episode of the Love Notes for Life podcast. I look forward to continuing this conversation of awareness and amplifying greatness through gratitude. If you’re enjoying the Love Notes for Life podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, and other major podcast platforms. The Love Notes for Life apparel and book is now available at lovenotesforlife.com. For the latest updates be sure to track the mindset by following me @mikecabuco on Instagram or Twitter.

Thanks y’all for the support and always remember, “There is beauty in knowing that there is only one of you.” Take care.