To summarize in a crude way: You'll never know what you can do if you don't know what you can do. It sounds self-evident, but think about it for a moment. How many of us truly know our potential? If you're not exposed to music or painting, you might never discover your talent for either or any number of other disciplines.

And once you discover that potential, it takes courage and determination to mold that energy into something that will sustain you -- and I don't mean just financially. The satisfaction of operating in your element is equal to none. I certainly am glad that I finally gave myself the chance to explore a lifelong desire to play music.

Sir Robinson often says that our education system saps the creativity out of children. I can attest to that. Growing up in France, I was lucky enough to be in a school that offered music classes. Unfortunately, it was heavy on theory -- useful knowledge, no doubt, but also an effective way to kill any pleasure we students might have derived from those lessons. To top it off, the only instruments we were allowed to play were cheap recorders. Imagine a classroom full of teens venting their frustration by belting out notes strident enough to make the neighborhood dogs howl themselves hoarse. That's the secret 10th circle of hell.

For the longest time, I didn't have the means to invest in an instrument. Luckily in 2006, a coworker was kind enough to loan me a Korg music wokrstation; it was like a cork popped off to let out years of untapped potential. I felt then that I could justify buying my own instrument and I've been teaching myself ever since. I don't spend nearly enough time practicing, so I know I'll never be a keyboard god, but I derive a lot of pleasure from composing.

I hope you'll enjoy the music I've put together so far. As always, your feedback is appreciated. Thank you for your time.

-- Didier