MATT SHAUGHNESSY:
MUSIC/TECH/CREATIVITY/COMMUNICATIONS/ETC

MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST / TECHIE-GEEK / SCOOTERIST / GAMER / LOVER OF PEOPLE

OK, SO WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DO @ WATERSHED?
Whatever Scott and Matt tell me to…actually I seem to do a little of everything. On Sundays my primary role is to lead the music, but I also oversee everything technology-related (the media/sound/lighting on Sundays), the website, the eShed and the Weekly, I do a lot of our print media and a little of our video work, I fix things when they break, and do whatever else needs doing.

I SHARE MY LIFE WITH:
Rachael - my best friend and beautiful wife. And our dog (Lila) who is also pretty awesome in her own right.

BACKSTORY:
I was born in Miami, but wasn't there for long - we moved to Virginia Beach where I spent most of my early years before my parents decided to get "out of the city" and moved to a small town with one stoplight. A few years after that I decided I couldn't take small-town life and headed up to Lynchburg, VA where I stayed for a few years before heading down to Charlotte. I was always a "band geek" through school, but started playing drums in 8th grade (thought it might attract the ladies better than playing the clarinet seemed to) and in college I started playing guitar on the side. One thing led to another - I started writing songs and playing in my church, and the rest (as they say) is history. It's cool that God chose to take a hobby I started out of selfish motives and turn it into something that is used for Him on a daily basis.

MORE PLEASE:
coffee, fast food, video games, music, vintage scooters

I DON'T DO SO WELL WITH:
healthy food, fancy restaurants, being organized

MY FAVORITE FACET OF THE ‘SHED:
Authenticity - I love that we don't act like we have everything figured out and we're always open to learning something new, and that we don't tell people what to believe but give them space to process and discover.

CURRENT LIFE LEARNING:
Every day for me is a challenge to be focused, but I'm learning to cut out the things that aren't that important and focus on things that really matter…that being "busy" isn't the same as being productive…that being cynical is just taking the easy way out…and that God is more interested in our heart than what we do (but the things we do are still important) It's good to be reminded that (as I think Brennan Manning once said) "God loves us as we are, not as we should be, for we will never be as we should be."

MY FAVORITE READS:
I could be really churchy and say "The Bible" but that's kind of assumed, so I'll say some of my favorite books would be Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, Velvet Elvis by Bell, Flickering Pixels by Shane Hipps, the Tolkien books and the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

MY FAVORITE TUNES:
I enjoy a pretty wide range of music from big band jazz to funk to rock to electronic stuff…and even if I don't enjoy it, I can usually appreciate it. It's always changing, but a recent sampling of my music might include the Flobots, the Temper Trap, B. Reith, OneRepublic, Safetysuit, The Reign Of Kindo, Incubus, Dave Matthews, David Wilcox, Paul Brunett, Oliver The Penguin, John Legend, Paramore, Mat Kearney, Kanye West, Jars of Clay...and many more.

BET YOU’D NEVER GUESS THAT:
when I was 5, I was in "The Sound of Music" but since I was young and had a high voice they had me sing all the parts for Gretl, the youngest Von Trapp daughter. "The sun has gone to bed and so must I…"

FOOD/BEVERAGE OF CHOICE:
lately I've been on a burrito kick - I've built up a rotation between the Phat Burrito, Chipotle and Moe's. I think I might be addicted to both Coke and/or Coffee, I need either one or the other depending on the time of day.

PLACES YOU’LL FIND ME IN THE QUEEN CITY:
I like to hang out at Julia's and the Cotswold Starbucks. Depending on the evening you might find us hanging out somewhere on the East side of town.

I LOVE CHARLOTTE BECAUSE:
It's a big enough city to have everything you need, but small enough to still feel like a small town at times.

MY HEART BEATS FASTER WHEN:
people find Jesus and their lives take a turn for the better…I love the perspective a person has when they find new life for the first time.

I ASPIRE TO:
make each day a little bit better than the one before it, and always keep growing closer to Jesus.

GET TO KNOW OR CONTACT ME:

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