Magna cum Loudly

As I take pause to commemorate another year round the sun, it is the right time to reveal just what I’ve been up to these past months.

A secret to most, although obvious to many, l have returned to the hallowed halls of academia with a suitably Rock and Roll twist. Last year I began studying a full-time Foundation degree in Live Event Production at the Academy of Live Technology in Yorkshire. Literally a ten minute drive from my front door.

The campus is part of Production Park, a world-class staging facility where the big tours plan and rehearse their productions. Making non-music headlines for supplying studio space to Netflix’s Adolescence production; but also paying pre-tour host in recent weeks to the likes of Ghost, Sleep Token and The Hu..

Adolescence of a later ilk was not as challenging as expected. As a “mature” student (on paper at least), I came to campus with the trepidation of an outlier and rigid in my expectations. Thankfully, my “fellow kids” swiftly embraced me as one of their own, appreciating the worldy wisdom and post-corporate planning I could bring to group assessments.

Specialising in Visual Production and Audio Mixing, the first year has been an enlightening experience – although it took some effort to coax an academic rigour out of my usual florid prose. It has been refreshing to see the practical aspects of the craft taught properly, and I can honestly say I learned more in the first three months of applied study than I did in three decades of ‘making do’.

My joyful gratitude abounds every day. I am energised at the epicentre of opportunity, and rub shoulders with some of the greatest professionals in the industry. Learning, unlearning, experiencing, and especially giving back.

I can make a difference here.

And make a difference I do! My profound appreciation for this second chance carries forward in all my acts. Having squandered an initial scholastic foray a lifetime ago, my retirement funds could only stretch to a two-year course instead of a full degree. As much as I nourish this hunger to learn and excel, and yearn to study further, I must use the limited time of my position to guide others.

Ruminating on Crowley’s notion of “True Will”, I consider how mine has refined and unveiled itself over the years. Where once I thought my soul’s calling was in the written word, that later expanded to communication as a whole, and now it is more a will to empower others to communicate. Individual purpose stepping forward to selflessly enrich the collective.

I find myself donning the aspect of facilitator in all forms. Rejecting a dependence on top-down authority for more collaborative growth. The Emperor turned becomes the Hierophant.

This manifests in how I give my all on campus. Volunteering as Student Ambassador and Mentor, I share my sincere enthusiasm with newcomers to the Academy. Offering campus tours and support to individuals, and interactive demonstrations for visiting groups. Showing how arena-grade equipment is operated through the encouragement of play and hands-on experience.

Ascending to the student body politic, (at the whim of the ballot), I will become the Academy’s Wellbeing Executive Officer in my second year. Understanding how harmful unchecked coping mechanisms can be to those in the industry, I aim to help students develop a robust mental toolset to pack alongside their podgers and gaff tape.

I see a lot of myself in my fledgling peers. An energy, an enthusiasm, a determination to achieve and succeed. Often unfocused in anger, doubt and frustration, but made of solid stock. Through what guidance I may, I help secure both my stake in the future and theirs.

The kids are, most definitely, all right!

Summer will shine, and with it an extended tour around Denmark, crewing both Metal Magic and Grøn Festival next month. Upon return, I will assist a summer school at the Academy for younger students. A course of creative design and confidence building, where the lessons I’ve learned over the years may be repurposed to the benefit of others.

I’ve drifted a lot through life, flitting from whim to whim and country to country. With the typical whimsy of the universe, it is on my doorstep that it all comes together. My strengths are repeatedly acknowledged and rewarded, and everything is locking into place.

I am exactly where I need to be.

https://heathenstorm.com/2025/06/14/magna-cum-loudly/

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