We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brian Templeton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brian, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I grew up a feral child…in a foreign country…and did not yet speak the language. I am a Military Brat. My father was an Air Force officer. As such, I spent my childhood travelling around Asia, the U. S, and Canada. in 1970, at age 7, I moved to Okinawa, Japan. My father was not actually assigned there but was instead assigned to a place known as NKP in Thailand. Too much of a hot spot for families to go to. So, we lived on Okinawa, with my stepmother’s family. They were the largest tofu producers on the island. My stepmother had her hands full with my baby brother, so I spent a lot of time on my own. This was when my wanderlust took hold. I wandered everywhere and had some tough experiences, but they were outweighed by the positive. There was a history of military kids coming off base and raising hell in the neighborhoods, so I did have couple of fight encounters. This led to my “Obasan” figuring out the score and phoning the village elders to let them know them that I was family. It was smooth sailing from there. I did start learning the language, and the culture of the Okinawan People. I loved Okinawa.
About 18 months later, my father was reassigned to Bangkok, Thailand and we were allowed to join him! Bangkok was a radical shift to say the least. It was 1973, and the war is still very much in play. I watched the fall of Saigon, live on TV – Bangkok and Saigon are close, approximately 600 miles from each other. I saw amazing things and people but also witnessed some extreme poverty and desperation. I learned to fight there, starting Tae Kwon Do in its early days. Living near an outdoor kickboxing bar, I would sneak out to watch the fighters…after clearing the bushes with a stick, …snakes are abundant in Bangkok. We had to leave our first home there because a colony of King Cobras had nested under the house. While I had some amazing experiences there, I unfortunately witnessed my first death when a tragedy befell our neighbors. I still see flashes of my father’s silhouette as he tried to save this person’s life.
The experiences I had in Thailand are seared into my memory forever.
Next stop: Bedford, Massachusetts, just in time for the bicentennial! I’ve become a Boy Scout at this time. While my roots of independence and resilience were in Asia, the Boy Scouts helped solidify what would end up being a career in service. I became an RN in 2009 and am amazed every day by the resilience of my colleagues and the people we support.
All in all, I would have to say that my resilience is the sum of an equation that includes being raised in the military “Fortress” a trust in my inner voice, and understanding that change happens, and one must flex and learn. I soak up the experiences of my life and I never stop learning from them.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have two lives that run concurrently: one in the day. the other at night,
I play bass and don’t stop. I do studio and live work as much as I can. My mantra is: “Make the good sound great, and the great sound stellar”.
I’ve been fortunate in my career and have 14 TV/Film credits, and am working on my 28th album with my band, “Sunrust”, a group of amazing artists and people. Sunrust is a hard-working band that has a wonderful and growing fan base. The genre is Gothic Folk. We have exciting things coming up: an album, and we released our third video on 5/24/25, We filmed part of the video at The New Frontier Lounge, a fantastic venue in Tacoma. All three of our videos are now available on YouTube.
I also play with another cool Tacoma based band, Ghost In Glass.
Music is my CPU. I was captured at an early age, when I first heard “Heaven On Their Minds” as a child in Bangkok.
My personal music page can be found at: www.bandmix.com/graymanbass
My other life is as a Registered Nurse. When I became a father, I added a second career in nursing. The years I spent in school as a new parent were intense but worth it in security for my family. I’ve worked in a Neurosurgical unit, Mental Health, Corrections (I worked at Attica), Surgery, Clinical Infusion, and currently work in Wound Care, and Home Infusion.
My wife and I are both performers and our kids have followed that path in their own unique and beautiful ways. We show up for each other, Performing, like family is fundamentally about showing up. Showing up for the work. Showing up for your colleagues and for the folks who come to see you play. Bottom line: I’m grateful life invites me to keep showing up.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I would have to say that adaptability would be at the top of that list. This has been a touchstone in my journey. Really paying attention, becoming a study of people is another. Finally, maybe most important is perseverance. If it’s important to you, keep working.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Oddly enough, allowing me to be a feral child. I gained a sense of self, independence, adaptability, and most importantly: a sense of humor about it all.`
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bandmix.com/graymanbass
- Instagram: GrayMan Bass
- Facebook: GrayMan Bass
- Linkedin: Brian Templeton, RN
Image Credits
Photographers:
Skye Warden
Merri Peterson Sutton
Tessa Mitchell
Tim Sanchez
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
