People go through a lot. They are constantly dealing with the highs and lows of life. Some deal with it better than others, some hide those emotions then let them uproar, and some act as if those emotions don't exist.
Saren has been through more in this life than most people I know. The way she weaves in and out of the hard times has always impressed me. She is honest and lets those moment take charge, but comes back. She comes back more than she was before. Having learned that everything that has happened has shaped her into more of the pillar that she is in some of our lives. That's the thing that sticks out about Saren, for all us that know her well. She is strong, stronger than most people I know. She's a badass and it shows in the way she lives life.
Currently, in Portland, OR with her top-notch husband and affable pup. She is the drummer of an incredible two piece band called Kool Stuff Katie.
Cathedral Park is a sanctuary in North Portland. It's that place where the city ends and nature starts to take over again. All encompassed by the raw iron that stretches the length of the river. Some days are overcast and some days the light is perfect. It's grand and dismal. Which is why I think Saren, and all of us love this place so much. The parallels of this place and this human are undeniable; valiant and poised.
When I first met you, I didn't know you as a musician, but now it's such a hold of who you are to me. When did that journey begin?
Music has been central to me since the beginning. I have sang and danced in some form or another since I could talk. I started playing piano at the age of 6 after months of begging my parents for lessons. I have spent my entire life with some sort of soundtrack playing to it - waking up with a song in my head, walking everywhere with headphones on, always doing work or hanging out with background music, seeking out songs as catharsis for whatever strong feelings I was experiencing.
There has been other things that have consumed life but why did you choose to go for it, follow the dream?
After college and a lengthy stint with all-consuming non-profit work, I found myself at law school, studying to be an international human rights lawyer. However, I quickly felt in my core that I was not the right person to do the vastly "type A" work required in law - I became depressed and unsettled, wrestling with what to do. I wrote and played music daily at my keyboard to keep sane, and ended up leaving school after a year with nothing to show for it but notebooks full of songs. After making the very difficult decision to walk away from a sure career, even with a mountain of debt, I decided that I had pursue what I was passionate about. Otherwise, what was the point of thrusting myself into that uncertainty? I would never be able to live with myself if I squandered the opportunity I had to restart my life the way I wanted to.
It's not always glamorous, it's got to be worth it.
Years later, it's still one of the best decisions I have made. It is tough and requires tons of hustle to carve out a space in the business, but my life is infinitely richer. I get to play drums and make people feel joy through that visceral experience of music that is universal to humanity. I feel like that is the worthiest pursuit.
