I'm excited to revisit the very first episode of the "Is it Recess Yet?" podcast, from 2018. My dear friend and colleague, the wonderful violinist and human, Miki-Sophia Cloud, graciously agreed to be my first interviewee. In our chat, we talk about her former life as a strolling ‘gypsy violinist’; playing by ear versus playing from sheet music; her musical studies and mentors at Harvard, Yale, and the New England Conservatory of Music; the importance of finding one's purpose as a musician, beyond the intense competitiveness of classical music and the need for approval or being "special"; and how she answers the question: “why am I doing this?” and what motivates her to make music.