“I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me – like food or water.” ~ Ray Charles
I saw this photograph in a recent article in the New York Times Magazine. I think about it every morning as I walk to my office building, joining in the foot traffic that’s winding its way down to the financial district. Most people are in suits, but I have to believe underneath that gray / navy blue exterior, there’s a musician just dying to break out from its cloistered existence. We’ve all got a little Ray Charles.
For some it may actually be a passion for music, but really the instruments in this photo represent all creative acts to me – be they writing, painting, making pottery, styling hair, interior design, or teaching. I have always believed that we are all inherently creative. This photo is the visual depiction of that belief and it makes me grin from ear to ear.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
3 thoughts on “Beginning: We’ve All Got Music”
Agree! I am a huge advocate for music. As someone who grew up playing the Clarinet and being in my High School Wind Ensemble I strongly believe that music is such an enriching part of one’s life. I loved being part of the band and going through the experience of perfmorming and feeling the actual pieces we’d play. Good memories they were!
I found it so comforting to learn that the music is what sticks with us in our minds right up to the end. No matter what happens, we always have music.
I sing, write and arrange a cappella music with a wonderful group of women in NY City (the MetropoliTones). We all have our own different day jobs but music is our common passion!
Christa Avampato 
Agree! I am a huge advocate for music. As someone who grew up playing the Clarinet and being in my High School Wind Ensemble I strongly believe that music is such an enriching part of one’s life. I loved being part of the band and going through the experience of perfmorming and feeling the actual pieces we’d play. Good memories they were!
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I found it so comforting to learn that the music is what sticks with us in our minds right up to the end. No matter what happens, we always have music.
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I sing, write and arrange a cappella music with a wonderful group of women in NY City (the MetropoliTones). We all have our own different day jobs but music is our common passion!
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