This album cover visualy describes what goes on in my head...

It gets crazy inside my head sometimes. So much I wanna do, so much I love to do, so much I wanna keep doing, and so much I have to say no to. I am just not sure it’s all possible or not. I hate saying no, and maybe that’s a start for me. I am a story teller by nature, it’s in my Santoyo blood.  I love writing stories and memories from my childhood…. I love films. I have a few film ideas that I create per week. Some I write down, others drift off into the sunset on my drive back home. I love writing music, creating melodies and hooks. Sometimes I hear a full orchestra in my head with syncopated percussion and ambient sounds in the background. I love being on stage performing with my band!!! It’s a rush!!! As far as I can remember I always enjoyed the thought of being an actor.  I enjoy the challenge of  becoming a character and bring him to life for the camera.  It’s awesome!I love being in a production environment. There is this urgency in the air to create a masterpiece through shooting, editing and designing…

I am passionate about people. We love being in community, organizing community, leading community anything having to do with passionate people.  I love to talk and talk and talk and talk. I enjoy listening to people talk about their dreams and in return I enjoy encouraging them to share about how those dreams can become a reality. I love talking about Jesus…It’s a deep passion of mine. I am fascinated by his words, his life, his friends, his conversations and his parties. I love to entertain people through food. We’re always inviting strangers over for dinner…It’s just something we love to do…

A piece of my heart is in Cambodia. I’ve been quietly working on a huge arts movement that would impact 3rd world countries… Now do you see my dilemma? Yes I know…Focus on one thing. Focus on one thing. Focus on one thing…It’s easier said then done my friends… Can all this vital parts work together for something I am not seeing?

I was fortunate enough to sit with this totally rad dude who lives in Franklin TN… He’s a cultural architect, an artist, an entrepreneur, a painter, an author, a chef…this dude  rocks!  It was truly  an honor that he would take time to sit down for coffee  and talk with me… I was in desperate need of some creative advice and I sure got it! There has to be a core to my creative chaos and madness. It is all stemming from somewhere. The question is, what is that eye of the storm in my creative passion? How do I narrow it down and corner it! I need order…Big time!!! It’s something I am working on…

What are your thoughts and Insight? Anyone else suffering from Creativechaosthatneedsorder?

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June 2007 marked the beginning of 2yrs that would impact my life forever and inspire the greatest journey ever. In 2007 Reina and I departed Chicago and went to the furthest city we could go before hitting the The Keys, Homestead FL! I stepped into a role at Life Pointe Church that would change my life forever. I knew I would be working as the creative arts director and Worship guy…But what I discovered goes beyond what I would’ve ever expected. It was truly an honor to work beside Lead pastor Travis Johnson. I gotta say he was one tough dude to work for, but the best boss I’ve ever had. I was challenged beyond the talents I brought to the plate. I learned what it was to lead and not just be. I learned it wasn’t about just  doing, but developing others to lead and do. Letting go in order to grow. In 2 yrs I think I read more then I ever had in my whole life. I was pushed and was given the freedom to fly on my own and fall on my face from time to time. My passion for people grew more then ever…I think because I met some really cool people in Homestead Fl, who took us in and made us feel like family. Because of those two yrs I grew as a person, as a dreamer, as a husband, as a father and as a friend. I learned the good and bad of me. I dropped the ball many of times, but learned lessons I will carry with me till the day I die. LPC and Homestead will forever be in our hearts as 2 of the greatest yrs of our lives. The moment I will never forget is the day Travis challenged me to give away my music for a bigger cause. That cause took my band across the globe and did things I never thought would be possible.

Thank you for 2yrs that marked my life and the life of my wife and kids for a lifetime! It was an awesome season. Cheers!

-fuser+  video was shot during an LPC series titled “likeus.tv” 2007

There is a war in me, between the corporate duties at hand and things my heart is on a creative rampage to achieve. Right now both are important, but one will prevail…

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So here are a few of the pros and cons of relocating to a brand new city that we have experienced and are experiencing. Some say we’re crazy and honestly I agree… It just feels so right in our hearts. Erwin McManus said it best, “when we are passionate about God, we can trust our passions”.

(negatives)

We left everything and everyone we knew behind, so we didn’t have a whole lot of people in this town, or at least no immediate family. We had to learn our way around. Find the right place  and area to live in. Trying to plug into a brand new social pipeline, in our case the arts pipeline…music, design, film, etc… Finding jobs! Dang has it been tough! Finding the right schools, daycares, babysitters for our kids. Make friends. Make a life  in this town, from square one again. Finding Good pizza and Latin food. Finding things to do. Find a church we can call home.

(Positives)

Meeting new people, making great friends, meeting new families. It’s a new town. So we get lost very often, but in the process we discover great things in this town. Networking more then ever to collaborate with other artists, film makers/ talent agents, designers, Songwriters and more…Our communication and network tools have improved for both Reina and I. Jobs? it’s been tough, but we’ve had strong leads and opportunities are here, just need to be consistent on knocking doors and refining my resume and bio’s etc… Schools? they’re here and they sound great. One more year and Diego starts pre-k. Babysitters…Still working on that. Our dates consist of bring the boys along…Watching late movies=the boys sleep…we love this town and really wanna stay here and grow super old here…Once the jobs and school kick in, it will feel a little more secure. Good pizza? It’s not Chi town pizza but we’ve become huge fans of Pie in the Sky pizza. Latin food?…maybe we’ll open one…LOL. Church to call him. Check!

Overall the things that seem like negatives turn out to be positives. We’re growing in so many areas of our life. We’re growing closer as a family. We’re appreciating more and more the things that matter. Faith in God providing is our one and only vital sign keeping us alive. It’s an awesome journey that’s been worth it. In no way has it been easy, but it’s paying off in ways we never imagined. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, we’ve grown, we’ve learned, we’ve lived, we’ve taken the chance to pursue our dreams, and we’re diggn it. CONSISTENCY, INTEGRITY, PATIENCE…remedy for success. What may not make sense right now, will soon…Hebrews 11:6

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“GREATNESS isn’t determined by fame,wealth,talent or education but by how much it takes to discourage you. Refuse to give up!”-Rick warren

So this whole week I’ve been waiting to hear back from a job that I am really excited about. I am also waiting to hear back if I got the part for the commercial Spot I auditioned for. This whole week I’ve updated my facebook and twitter status with ” waiting, waiting again, still waiting”. It gets a little impatient waiting for an answer, and hoping it is the answer I “want” it to be. I feel like I have done everything I possibly can to get those answers quick. I will admit, my prayers have been pretty selfish. Hoping God hooks me up with these gigs, cause I “need” them, and “want” them. Almost trying to convince God and sell the idea of me having this job to him. I need to feed my family, keep the lights on in our apartment, pay the bills, and make a life here in Nashville. I am pretty darn sure God knows what I need and Don’t. But my human nature just can’t see past the waiting room I am in.

This evening I was totally blessed with the words our pastor Pete Wilson shared at Crosspoint church. This morning we showed up at Crosspoint ready to engage in worship and hear the message and Zion was screaming bloody murder, courtesy of a stomach ache!  We tried to wait it out but left before the first chord was strummed. We planned to be home the rest of the evening, but we decided to try it again with Zion and go to Church after dinner. We arrived at Crosspoint pretty early. Early enough where the doors were closed, and the kids area was not quite ready yet… So we “waited” outside and sat on some cool old looking benches. It was worth the wait! Worship was great! Message opened with such a powerful video that threw my worries to the curbside! Pete shared a few words that really hit home for me. To my surprise tonight’s message was about WAITING!LOL.

Here’s my rundown of a few things  Pete shared, wish I could share it all…I am terrible at taking notes sometimes…

There is an undeniable relationship between Crisis and Hope. “Sometimes we hate waiting cause we feel powerless, Especially when we are control freaks.”It sucks when we are in a hurry and it seems God is not! The crazy thing is, Waiting is when we find our deepest and truest purpose!..”gulp!.

“We want everything God has to offer, just not his calendar. We often care more about comfort, then character.” We need to accept his timing!  Waiting room- God will allow suffering, pain, and crisis in order to detach HOPE from other things and attach it to himself. We need to wait and hope, even when it feels there is no reason to. God is the God of this Universe and I am not.

I realize there are so many things I want for my life. So many things that I feel will help me get to the next stage in my life. I don’t know how we will make it through, how we will pay our bills, how we will achieve the plans we have… We’re waiting on God, and having Faith and Hope in him alone, and having joy in everything we face right now. I am excited about what will come about in the next few weeks. Whether I get the answer I hope I will, or not. God is God, and he knows all. He knows what we need, and what we don’t.

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It is still a surprise to many! Here is the explanation again…

WHAT? Me, Reina, Diego and Zion now live in East Nashville TN.  In 2007 after working for Univision in the News Production dept, we all packed up, left Chicago and relocated to Homestead Florida and lived there for 2yrs. There, surrounded by the beautiful ocean and endless beaches,I worked as the creative arts and worship director at Life Pointe Church…A really cool church in South Fl.

I recorded my first full length album with my band “the Saturn project” and donated 100% of all the proceeds to an amazing humanitarian project in Cambodia. Buy music, Do good. For every 1,000$ we sold in Cd’s, houses were being built by for families living in the dumps of Cambodia! Fresh water wells built as well…It was an amazing run, with tons of flight miles across the globe, Cool shows and beautiful people I hope to see again.

WHERE? After 2 yrs in Florida, my wife and I decided to take another huge leap. We packed up and moved to Nashville TN to pursue our passions and dreams. It was a rush, it was scary, and it was sad all together. But it was something we knew we had to do at that moment in time. So here are some of our crazy plans as we speak…

WHY? Just to give you a quick FYI, Reina is amazing artist/designer/decorator…She has a super gift with colors, materials, visions, ideas, and people! So…Reina is planning on attending an arts and design school for Interior Design here in Nashville TN, which we are all super excited about! I am currently looking for a job in the TV/Media world…It’s been a process but I know it takes time. In the mean time Reina and I have been working odd jobs to survive and pay our bills.

HUH? I am an artist/singer/songwriter…I write tons, play tons, and can’t stop and probably never will. My task has been to get out into the Nashville music scene share my music…see what the city thinks, network with other musicians, songwriters and artists and collaborate and see where this boat may go. I am still the front-man for the band “the Saturn project” which we hope to work on a 2nd record. In the meantime I have been writing songs for my upcoming Solo EP debut. It’s a scary thought to be on stage alone but I am looking forward to the challenge.

WRITING? yes I write a lot!! Some of it makes it on my blog, and others don’t. From poetry, short stories, screenplays and more. I have been compiling some personal stories with a creative twist and maybe try and put together a small book. We’ll see.

FILMS? Yeah, I have a few ideas that I have been chewing on for a long time. I’ve been working hard to develop these films and find someone who would want to bring them to life…That’s the surface of what’s going on in our Santoyo world…If I share everything, then it will spoil the surprises!  Thanks for Reading…I love when you guys visit me. Until next blog…peace

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follow me around

follow reina around

I think it’s really important sometimes to just disconnect and re-charge.  When there are great opportunities and challenges in your forecast it’s important to just sit back, relax, breath in and go full force. We’re excited for the future, cause we’re confident in the decisions we are making now. If you don’t know how to live now, how can you expect something great in your future?

Many times I’ll just sit around the house with Diego and begin to dream for him. I see the potential he has now as a child, and how that will grow into more. Or how he jams out to the songs I sing as if they were the greatest tunes ever written! Everyday I sit here in our apartment and look around at all the cool stuff Reina is designing and making, and see potential for greatness in her. Zion is only 7 months and I can see the great things in store for his future.  The things we dream and foresee may not be here now, but we’re living as they are and they are on their way.

I’ll pace back and forth at the apartment with song ideas, film ideas, book ideas and try to fit them all into a piece of paper. LOL. I see potential for great things and believe they shall come to pass. I think many times other people believe in me more then I believe in myself…I am a work in progress for myself. My prayer and thoughts are that in all that we do, we give honor to Christ the ONE and only in all things.

I am taking some overdue time off from blogging and facebooking  to re charge.  Not sure how long this time off will be. It could be a few days, a few weeks, months, a yr…But please know I shall return. I am Gonna sit back, breath in, meditate on truth, on faith, worship and love. I will  write, create, sing, design, re build and return when I am ready for the next season of this journey and  I look forward in connecting with you great folks all over the globe. For those who read my blogs, thoughts and random left hooks, please continue to leave your comments, your thoughts and prayers. Feel free to take over my page with your thoughts, jokes, random nonsense, encouragement and comments, I will continue to read them from time to time. Lots to do my friends, lot’s of stories to live and tell, lot’s of dreams to build, see you soon.

For The Saturn Project updates, upcoming shows and news continue to visit our web page HERE.

Hasta luego y hasta la victoria siempre…

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There is always more room to grow. Ok, maybe not in height but in other areas of life. It’s been insanely awesome having 2 boys at home. One thing is for sure, I couldn’t  handle it without my amazing wife. She is an amazing wife and mother. Having 2 kids has it’s challenges, but I am all about that! Challenge!!!!  We will learn as we live and grow together. Just proves there is always more room to grow as a leader of my home. It is a daily adventure. Yesterday as I changed Zion’s stinky diaper I thought, wow…one day he will change mine. But until I grow completely old, my duty is to lead my boys in the best path possible and Instill in them a passionate love and desire for God’s heart. I invision them impacting the world with me, on stage, across the continent, in the streets, thru the arts…It’s a fathers dream…

After being in the hospital with Reina as they removed Zion from her body, I realized how much more amazing she is day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. It was scary seeing all these Dr’s operate on her. As I wiped her tears in that room, I felt so weak inside but did everything possible to be strong for her in the outside. Then within minutes there was a sound in the room that took all worries away. Zion’s firsts words in this world. It was amazing. He is God’s gift for us!!!  Having 2 children requires double the attention and work, but it made me realize there is so much room for us to grow as a couple, as companions and lovers.  New adventures, new words, new gestures, new jokes and dreams. There is so much more…Love my Reina more and more…

Performing in Asia was really cool. I felt like the saturn project was making moves so loud the whole earth can hear our anthems. It was cool walking out of that auditorium  to screaming fans who embraced our songs and our mission. It had it’s weirdness of course, flashing cameras and autograph signing everywhere, but it let us know we are up to something good on it’s way to being great. Arriving here to the US, we didn’t have screaming fans at the airport, nor billboards displaying “The Saturn Project Rocks!” Just proves there is so much more room to grow as an artist and a band. So much more to achieve, so much more to do and share the anthems for a broken world story. We are eternally grateful to those who have and continue to believe in our sound and what we do…the best is yet to come…

As the creative arts and worship pastor for life pointe I have a team of leaders, artists, directors and producers that I lead. There is always that challenge to be the best possible leader I can do. From time to time I drop the ball and maybe don’t lead as I am meant to lead. Just proves there is so much more room for me to grow. It is a blessing to be able to fly out from time to time with the Saturn Project to share  our talents with the world. From Cambodia to the Philippines, Europe to South America and the US. None of that is possible without the amazing  staff and teams I have the privilege of working with at LPC.  When you are encouraged to dream and follow those dreams by the people you work and experience life with, it really encourages me to be a better leader, artist and “pastor”. There is plenty of room for that…

Me and my crew live in Homestead Fl, many of my family and friends live in Chicago. I don’t have the luxury of driving over to my Mom’s for Dinner, nor hanging at the pool with my brothers and bust each others chops. I can’t drive over to see a show in wicker park with my fellow chi-town artists. Just shows me there is more room for me to grow as a friend, brother and son. I am challenged to constantly reach out and say “what up?”, or constantly post pictures and videos of my crew so my family in Chi-town can see them. Out of sight, out of my mind shouldn’t exist for me. But rather push myself to be available to all my distant peeps.

We are all constantly growing, learning, dreaming and living. The day we stop that process, the things that wage war against growth, lessons, dreams and living will begin to eat away at our bones and quickly lead us to our death bed.I wanna constantly live and grow. As my  1773 friends in chi town would say, “Constant Motion”.

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“i should write a book”…Who would read it?

So today I said farewell to my 20’s.  I am not sure what it is supposed to be like? What I am supposed to feel, but everyone sounds horrified when I say I am now 30yrs old. It was cool when someone guessed that I was 25 yrs old while performing at Sonfest. LOL. So far the thought of being 30yrs old(has a weird ring to it) feels great! God has blessed me with 30yrs of life. A great family and cool friends.  I will never be in my 20’s again and I think that’s great. I am not who I used to be anymore and I think that is great. I will never forget the bitter and sweet memories, they refined who I once was and took part in building the man I am today. I don’t have it all together, nor am I in the place I know I should be, but you better believe I am on my way. I feel so freakn honored that God would take a flawed, dysfunctional dude like me and use me to do some pretty amazing things!!!

Looking back at 30yrs of life…To all those who have been by my side, I am forever grateful. To all those who challenged me, THANKS!!!! To my pastor/friend/boss… Trav, dude…this is all insane!! World domination! I never thought I’d be a leader of tribes…I’m ready to put more on the line. To all those who have believed in me, hope you guys are proud, To all those who said I would never succeed, I would’ve never made it here without you guys, To all those who betrayed me, life happens and I forgive you. To all those who have loved me, I love you too. To all the heart-aches, I now appreciate what Love is. To all those who have mentored, educated, guided me through some of Life’s trials and obstacles, Words are not enough to express my gratitude. My my wife and kids, I can not picture my life without you!!! Life is only gonna get better! I love you so much!!! To my LPC fam, you guys are awesome for embracing the city kid and making me your own. To PCL and Cambodia for opening my eyes and ears and inspiring me as a human being. To all the musicians that took time to give me some musical tips back in the day, thanks. To Javi for showing me my first steps to drumming, you created a monster! To my lil bro! I knew you’d be great! To the “2nd hello”, for inspiring me. To mom and pops for not giving up. This list can go on and on and on…

To GOD for being my friend, and making me, and writing the coolest story ever…So what’s next? I am ready!  All in All, I am just so blessed and grateful for the life I’ve had so far…Have any memories? share them here. Peace

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