Sound Composition: The Safety of Noise

Around the age of 17 I was kicked out of the house by my moms partner. To save face they told many of my friend's parents that I had left on my own and that allowing me to stay with them would only add support to this "choice". It essentially isolated me from any form of shelter other than my 2007 Kia Spectra.

When I tell people the story of being homeless as a teenager people often wonder what the hardest part was but, are always surprised by my reply. It was the silence. Being homeless is boring and it is quiet. It requires you to sit alone with your thoughts, with no noise to help cushion the blow. Making sound feels like the only way to keep sane at times as if the silence continues it may swallow you whole.

I wanted to create the sound composition from my perspective as the entire narrative was from someone who was alone. I wanted to take listeners through the average night living in my car.

The song "nothing's gonna hurt you baby" can be heard in my sound composition. At the time it was that song that made me feel the safest. I so badly had needed someone to tell me I would be ok, even if it came from a random song lyric.

Since those days I have come a long way. I currently live in downtown Halifax and my Kia Spectra is still with me, but she sits in my driveway at night while I sleep inside. I will be getting my bachelors degree this coming year and plan on working in Hawaii for a few months with my best friend and girlfriend. I am working towards a future I thought was impossible

Most importantly, the silence does not scare me anymore, I welcome it with open arms.