What Drumming Is To Me

I am 23 years old, and have been fasinated with drums, most of my life. As long as i can remember, drums have always captivated my ears, and eyes, in music. In the early stages of my drumming, I was just like most new drummers, in that I was horrible...but i remember what it was like when i nailed my first drum beat. No matter how simple, or sloppy it was, it was the first achievment I made in my drumming. I was around 11 or 12 years old when i began to really take interest in being a drummer. For the first year or so, most of my learning came from watching older, more talented drummers that i was friends with, then going home, and trying my best to copy their beats. I think my mind set, like a lot of new drummers, was "how many beats can i learn".
By the time I turned 15, i had gotten really good at "copy cat drumming", but I wanted more. I began to experiment more with technique, and more intelligent drumming. I was no longer content with just trying to  play what others played, because it sounded cool. I wanted to know why they played certain things, I wanted to know what each drum, and cymbal was capable of, and I wanted to develop my own style of drumming.
For the next few years I gained a ton of knowledge. I began experimenting with bands, and started to feel like i was becoming a real drummer. I got to where i was comfortable creating my own beats. I could pick things up just by ear. I was in a few popular Jacksonville local bands, between the ages of 16-18 (Paradigm, Tears Of Scarlet, It Comes To This).
At 18 years old I really took interest in the drummer Aaron Gillespie. What he does on drums, is just so clean, and unique. It was like he took everything i had learned up to that point, and wrecked it! He was the first drummer I ever noticed, that seemed to make drumming completely his own! At that time, i think that my mind was truly opened to the vastness of drumming! From beats, to fills, to timing...there is a never ended amount of possibilities!
Over these last 5 years, drumming has become so much more to me! I have rebuilt my drumming on 3 things:
1) Thinking outside the normal. I like to take beats, and flip them, or do a fill in a place noone expects it. Ghost Notes, triplets, offbeats, and tempo changes are big parts of my drumming!
2) Putting on a big show! I am not content with just sitting back, keeping a beat for a band! On stage, i like to go as crazy as i can, WITHOUT LOSING FOCUS ON THE BEAT! I want to be the drummer that everyone remembers at each show!
3) The biggest part of my drumming is my dedication and passion for it! from practice, to shows, to teaching lessons, to just talking about drumming, I am very passionate about it! I believe any musician should have a completely sold out dedication to their instrument. My biggest goal as a drummer is for my dedication and passion to be seen and heard through my drumming!

So, now that that long introduction to me is over, here is a list of 7 things i believe a drummer should be:
1) The backbone of the band. You are the time keeper, when you are sloppy the whole band is sloppy! Keep your skills sharp, and learn how to play the pocket of every song!
2) The "secret" leader of the band. I love the fact that i not only drum in my band, but i sing, i write lyrics, i put songs together, and i always try to push my fellow members to better themselves. Don't settle for just keeping the beat. Be a leader!
3)Always improving! practice all the time. Find drummers that influence you to be better. You can always learn more, and go further as a drummer.
4)Focused, but Fun. Learn to balance focusing on drumming, with not losing the connection to the crowd, or even other band members. I see a lot of drummers that focus so much on what they are playing, that they totally disconnect from the rest of the show. Don't be that drummer.
5)Bold. Don't be afraid to "show off", a big part of music is the attitude! When you are on stage, tear it up! Don't hold back!
6)Patient. Take time to learn new things, well! Keep quality in mind! Don't ever settle for good enough.
7)Unique. Learn from others, but don't become a copy! Find your personality, and creativity on drums!

I hope that this first post helps you other drummers in some ways, keep an eye out for more post from me!