Indre Viskontas
San Francisco, CA USA
"Sometimes where you end up when you jump is a much more interesting place than where you would have been had you continued walking along the path."
Career Roadmap
Indre's work combines: Science, Music, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I recommend making a plan—whether that's a five-year, ten-year, or twenty-year plan. Think of something you want to do or become, then plan out what it takes to get there. It's okay if what you end up doing wasn't your initial plan. The point is that if you have a plan to start out on, then you'll be able to take those steps and decide along the way if you're still engaged. From there, you can decide to keep going or pivot. But you can't do that if you don't have a plan to start with.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Psychology & French Literature
University of Toronto - University of Trinity College
Doctorate
Cognitive Neuroscience
University of California, Los Angeles
Graduate Degree
Vocal Performance
San Fransisco Conservatory of Music
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I grew up surrounded by music, but it never seemed like something I would be able to make a career out of.
2.
As a child of immigrants, it was always very important to my family that I pursue a stable career.
3.
In high school, I was inspired by the books of neurologist Oliver Sacks—I found the subject matter very interesting and it seemed like a good career that my parents would be supportive of.
4.
I earned my bachelor’s degree and went on to earn my Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience—throughout this whole time in my life, I kept my interests in neuroscience and music very separate.
5.
After working so hard to earn my Ph.D., I wanted to devote time to the part of myself that was a musician and artist, so I went back to school to earn a master’s degree in vocal performance.
6.
Once I combined my passions, I found that each enhanced my understanding of the other—applying neuroscience to music made me a better performer while music helped me better understand the human brain.
7.
I’m currently a professor at San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of San Francisco as well as the creative director of Pasadena Opera.
8.
Additionally, I host a podcast about science and society called Inquiring Minds.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You can't do two things well. You can't be both a musician and a neuroscientist at the same time at the level that you want to be. You have to choose.
How I responded:
The notion that you can't do two different things well followed me around for a long time, but I kept resisting it. I accepted that maybe this would be true in the future and that I would eventually hit a point where I'd have to choose, but for the time being I would just keep doing the two things that I loved doing. I never ended up hitting a point where I was forced to choose! I've been able to balance my passions and make a portfolio out of my career where I can do all of the things I love.