Irvin Mayfield
New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
New Orleans, LA USA
"That's why your passion is so important-that's one thing that no one else can do that you can do because you love it more than anyone else."
Career Roadmap
Irvin's work combines: Business, Music, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Says that playing trumpet growing up didn't always make him the most popular person; people had their doubts.
2.
He had a passion, could listen to and play trumpet all day everyday, so he didn't care about financial success, the feelings of his peers.
3.
Says success is all relative; if he set a goal to make $400 one month and he made $500, he was on top of the world.
4.
Parts of his family wanted him to have a tangible career, a degree, rather than pursuing his dream.
5.
Father had taught him to play the trumpet, but was disappointed when he dropped out of college.
6.
In 2009, he won a Grammy and was appointed to the National Endowment of the Arts by President Obama.
7.
Once he had a Grammy, got his own apartment, his family started to come around to his choices.
8.
Lives by a saying his mother taught him: "Blessed is he who gets paid for what he would do for free."
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I don't have a college degree, I left school, which was one of the most painful decisions I ever made.