Hi! My name is Camryn. I am a 17-year-old singer/songwriter/instrumentalist from Newtown, CT. From the earliest time I can remember, music has fascinated, enticed, and unlocked a part of myself that has carried me through my hardest moments. From the start, I would say my inspiration has come from some inner-wellspring that I confess I don’t fully understand. Sure, you could argue that everyone loves music; it brings people together, evokes raw emotion from even the most introverted, and instantaneously transports your heart, mind, and body back to a specific moment. So much so that your other four senses may be awakened. However, the difference for me is I don't just listen to music. I don't merely write lyrics or teach myself instruments for fun. I speak music; I taste, smell, and most importantly feel music. 

Throughout my 17 years, I have encountered hundreds of music lovers, writers, players, etc. Still, you rarely come across someone who recognizes their gift. Now don't be fooled, I am not writing this simply to exclaim that I am “special” or “different” because that is far from what’s true. Despite what I love to do, there are pieces of me that you could say make me a bad person, make me immoral and certainly imperfect. Yet, not a single bit of the ugly in me takes over what's truly important. What I am saying, without any elaboration, is that regardless of who you are, who or what you love, what you do, how rich or poor you are, we all have our stuff. We all have that little person inside us that tells us that we are not capable, that we cannot be great. The difference is do you choose to chase away that imaginary shadow or do you cower in fear and bury your head in the sand? And not just chasing away. Never ignoring it, punching it in the face. Slamming your negative side into the concrete so hard it has no choice but to surrender.                       

The point being, I'm just a 17-year-old, from a small town in a small state, but I dream like I have the entire galaxy in my pocket. I will sing one of my songs in my room, and feel overjoyed, not because I'm wishing that I will be on stage one day, but because I know that I will be. And that is the difference. You don't have to have money, you don't have to “know people" or be famous, all you need is the tiniest sparkle of belief. Just one speck, and you can join me, in the small but powerful group of people who rely heavily on the core of our beliefs. To not only reach for the stars, but grab hold of one and keep it forever in your pocket. My star is music, what's yours?