Sometimes even writers must rely on the words of others to best express themselves. And who better to turn to than the great Bob Dylan?

This is my last day at Billboard magazine, and the title of this post best encapsulates my state of mind as I look back on the last seven years. Actually, to be accurate, it’s my last full-time day. I’m going to remain on as an advisor/consultant for the FutureSound conference that we’re putting together (www.futuresoundconference.com) Nov. 17-18 in San Francisco. And I’ll be writing a few freelance feature stores for Billboard now and then.

But for the most part I’m now striking out on my own. Within the music industry, I’m looking to do some consulting and advising with both startup and established companies. My goal is to see how the unique skill set I’ve developed as a journalist at Billboard can be best translated into other roles. You can find a full list of the projects I’m most interested in on the “about” page of this blog.

I’m also interested in writing about other things as a freelancer. The digital music space is certainly interesting, but I have other interests I’d like to explore. I’m a total food geek, growing my own vegetables and cooking almost everything at home from scratch. I’ve started a food blog that can be found at www.cooked-uncooked.com that covers my growing, cooking and foraging activities. I’m hoping to start writing more about that in other publications. I’m also an avid skier, and am looking for cool angles to cover in that sport. And there’s just all manner of other things that I find interesting and compelling enough to write about. Billboard’s a demanding job… between that and parenting responsibilities, I’ve had no time to engage in these other areas. I soon will.

I have mixed feelings leaving Billboard. It’s been my identity for the better part of a decade, through some pretty major milestones in my life. I walked into this industry with nearly zero knowledge of the music business. This was a time when ringtones were making big money, and Billboard needed someone who know the mobile industry. After eight years covering mobile as a reporter and working in industry development at CTIA–The Wireless Association, I was that guy. The years that followed have been exciting, educational, and entertaining. I’ve met some truly awesome people. It’s really been a blessing.

But basically what I want to do now is experiment with other roles. I’m not one of these golden-parachute executives who can just leave a job and spend 6 months on a beach figuring out what they want to do next. Not only is that financially impossible, it’s just not my style. I’m a doer–I learn by doing. Truth is I don’t know what I want to do next, so the only way to figure that out is to do a lot of different things and see what sticks.

Perhaps that’s business development and partnership building. Perhaps it’s communication strategy. Market research and analysis. Community development. Content. I know I can do all those things, but I’m not sure yet which one I want to do full time. So I’m going to try to do a little bit of all of them.

There’s been a lot of turnover at Billboard, and my departure is sure to stir up more rumors. So let me clear all that up right now. I’m not running away from Billboard. I’m running (well, walking) towards something new. My relationship with the Billboard staff and leadership remains as solid as ever, and there’s not a person there I don’t consider a friend.

Billboard will forever be a part of who I am. It’s a stage in my life I’ll never forget. Now,  I’m looking very much forward to the next one.