This is it. This is when I finally become the guitarist I’ve dreamed of being for most of my life.
I always wanted an electric guitar when I was a kid but it was never meant to be. Truth be told, my parents were very good to me but I believe in this instance, it was a matter of not having the patience to listen to me “make noise” (which is certainly what it is at first). 
So after having been exposed to lots of different music in college and being particularly inspired by improvisational rock (mostly Phish), I decided it was finally time. I graduated from college and had my own money, so buying a guitar was one of the first things I did. I bought a Fender Stratocaster and a Zoom 505 effects pedal that I had no clue on how to use. This was in 1998, so the internet was still a baby and there certainly weren’t the resources that there are today. There was one dude compiling sometimes dodgy Phish tabs on-line. I wasn’t making a lot of money at the time so lessons weren’t in the cards. I’m a pretty self-motivated person, so I started on my journey to teach myself. I was sure I’d be playing Trey Anastasio leads in no time. Haha. So I mucked around (as Justin would say…I might use an F there instead of the M) for several years, making more progress than I realized at the time, but not enough to really keep me in it. I played up until my son was old enough to want to play all the time and that’s exactly what I did. Being a daddy was the most important thing to me. Priorities. Now, he’s 15 and wants less to do with me so I’m back to it! And I REALLY missed it.
I’m a creative person by nature. In fact, I turned that into a career. I’m a motion graphics designer and video/audio editor by trade. So I’m pretty well versed in all aspects of A/V media. I also have what Justin refers to as a “musical mind”. The music itself makes so much sense to me, but I’ve never been formally trained in any aspect of music.
What I love about improvisation is the open-ended creative expression it provides. To me, it’s one thing to play a song. It’s another to be able to do so in such a way that it’s unique each time you play it. Most of the people in my life have no idea why I love Phish the way I do. They’re not creative people. The way I usually try to explain it is this: If you had the chance to go see Leonardo da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa, would you? Most people would say “absolutely”. Now, would you go see him paint it again the following night? Most people say “nah I’ve just seen it”. Because the painting doesn’t change. It is what it is. Kind of like a studio track. A lot of bands play the same notes at each show and I’ve seen some of those bands. Nothing wrong with this at all. But what if each time da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa it was a bit different. What if each time, he started and ended at the same place but the journey was completely different? I’ve seen Phish 58 times since 1994. I’ll hit 60 this summer.
Enough about Phish. Some of my other main inspirations include Pink Floyd, Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pearl Jam, Greta Van Fleet, and Metallica. Can’t do country, but I’m fairly eclectic in my taste for music.
But, I’ve been equally inspired by this community. I had no intention of making a “Learning Log” or an “AVOYP” or anything like that. I thought I’d just go through the lesson content from the start and pick up on things I’ve missed along the way. I thought I’d breeze through the beginner modules and just kind of do my own thing the way I always have. But everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. I couldn’t have imagined myself posting video of myself playing for anyone but family just a few months ago, but now I’m getting there. I’m growing as a musician and I have Justin AND this community to thank for it. 
I’m glad you’re enjoying them. The real magic is the live shows.
And it’s an absolute blast to see them live. 58 shows has given me some great insight into the way they communicate on stage while jamming. It’s something to behold.
Hopefully when I get the nerve to post my version it will make you smile the way yours did for me. I suck at singing tho! 
I know Justin said to move on if you’re over 75% but I’m not happy with this. It’s only going to get harder. Still getting 5 and 8 confused when they occur on a very low end of the sound spectrum. Not quite sure how to resolve this other than to keep practicing. Not in a hurry. Lots of other things to work on.