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Austin Nash Park
By Grace Yao Austin Nash Park is a pianist, singer, songwriter, and composer born in Vancouver General Hospital. He started attending Collingwood School in Grade 6 and graduated in 2010. Park has a diverse range of hobbies and interests. He takes pleasure in writing literature, meeting new people and travelling, and he is also a fan of tea, films, and books. As for sports, Park walks and runs regularly and enjoys long-distance walks the most. He previously played tennis as a teen, but now, if he injures his fingers, he won’t be able to play piano, which is partly why he sticks to the activities mentioned above. |
Although Park’s numerous inspirations differ day by day, he was recently thinking about Ryuichi Sakamoto, arguably the best Japanese musician in the world, who passed away in March this year. Sakamoto has influenced him both musically and as a person, notably in being fearless during experimentation and being unwavering in committing to his values. Despite having friends who are acquaintances of Sakamoto, he has not met him, regrettably. However, if Park could chat with him, he would tell him that he’s a huge fan and believes that Async, an album Sakamoto published in 2017, is the best album that has been published by any artist in the last 15 years.
Park’s favourite aspect of art is that art allows people to identify with others and dive together into ideas, emotions, and thoughts in a way that goes beyond just talking. He says, “If you read Tolstoy or experience a Beethoven symphony, you are not only taking in words, sounds and ideas, you are connecting with an eternal part of these geniuses themselves, their souls expressed through art.”Amidst our world, so shattered and frail, Park believes that original and creative art is a divine truth, and this is what is most important.
Park’s favourite aspect of art is that art allows people to identify with others and dive together into ideas, emotions, and thoughts in a way that goes beyond just talking. He says, “If you read Tolstoy or experience a Beethoven symphony, you are not only taking in words, sounds and ideas, you are connecting with an eternal part of these geniuses themselves, their souls expressed through art.”Amidst our world, so shattered and frail, Park believes that original and creative art is a divine truth, and this is what is most important.
For any aspiring musicians out there, Park has some advice for you. He believes that your final goal in music is determined by what you want out of it. If it’s simply a leisurely pastime, feel free to experiment as much as you desire. However, if you want to chase a career in the music industry, there will be “an element of compromise when it comes to the business side, and if you work really hard and are extremely lucky, you just might be able to minimize it.”
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Although Park dropped out of Berklee College of Music at 18, he is currently earning a livelihood with purpose and passion by performing at high-end hotels and events and offering consultation services, session work, and instruction. Park, who is now 30, lives in Tokyo and believes that art will continue to shape his life positively.
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