Anyone can use the library to create, explore and further develop their passions and interests – just take a look at Garry Guillaume, a nurse at Bella Terra Morton Grove who recently learned he could use the library’s Studio to further pursue his love for music.
Guillaume is a Haitian American musician. He developed his love for music through his family’s involvement in church while growing up in Haiti. He works long hours as a nurse, but still manages to find time every day to work on his music.
“My job is sometimes very busy and may be stressful and music is the thing I always use as a therapy to calm me down,” he said. “It’s kind of like I don’t feel complete for the day [unless] I do some music, no matter what the time.”
“Sometimes as a musician and a composer, you might have an idea, a certain feeling, [and] you cannot go to sleep unless you put that idea somewhere and you know for sure you’re not going to forget it,” he continued. “It’s a passion.”
Guillaume began working on his album L’OMNI in December 2021. In need of a recording studio, Guillaume learned about the library’s Studio from his friends. He ended up using the Studio two to three times a week to work on his music.
“When I got there, I was really amazed to see how much [is] available for people like me who have the needs to do certain things and maybe not the means to do it,” Guillaume said. “It was a very welcoming, calm area where you have the space, and you can focus on what you’re doing. It was a very good experience.”
Guillaume used the library’s Studio to record vocals, design his album cover and put together his music using Logic Pro X. The Studio provides a lot of resources for musicians like Guillaume – a variety of software such as Ableton Live, a condenser mic, an electric drum kit, lights and backdrops, a Maschine, a MIDI keyboard, a vocal booth and more.
“Recording vocals costs a lot because you want to make sure everything is good, everything is on point. And it’s time consuming. And every single minute you spend, it’s a lot of money going to a professional space,” he said. “To have this for free...I’m very, very grateful about that.”
The finished album was released on July 17, 2022, with 11 tracks, mostly in French, with two tracks in English and Haitian Creole, bringing together Christian music and upbeat Afro-Caribbean sounds.
“I hope anybody listening to the album can find hope, find joy and have a good time just listening to it, whatever you’re going through,” he said.
“I want to thank the library and everybody who put together this great idea to make [the Studio] available to the public [for] people like me and a lot of young people,” Guillaume said. “I’m sure they’re going to have this as a great opportunity, a possibility to put their talent forward.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Guillaume’s music, you can visit garryguillaumemusic.hearnow.com/. And the next time you create something using the library’s Studio, Makerplace or an item from the Library of Things collection, share it with the library at ahml.info/creator_spotlight. We want to shine the spotlight on your creation and show others too.