In the era when Hathaway was growing up, children used to aspire to become astronauts, a seemingly glamorous occupation that actually requires an unmatched application of ingenuity, intelligence, discipline and nerves that few can achieve or sustain. However, for the few that do, the payoff of traversing the spectacular unknowns of outer space or gazing upon the surface of the planet from the weightless confines of a space shuttle is well worth the preparation and pitfalls.

One of the worst kept secrets in history is that music has a way of affecting how we feel about people. Music also makes us feel a certain way about the artists that create the music. Whatever emotions the message and the melody conjure up for us, we subconsciously associate the artist with those virtues and flaws. Brian McKnight has sold millions of records by writing songs about love and loss and singing them with alarming range and ability.

When examining the arc of one’s artistry, what must be considered above that individual’s personal aptitude of his respective skill is the fact that you are a product of your environment. Terence Blanchard is an arc type for this principle, extracting the rich spirit of his New Orleans upbringing from his trumpet onto everything he’s touched: from his teenage stint with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers to his stature as one of the most respected film composers of the last two decades.