Success Hard Won in 2021
I am literally reflecting. . . (photo cred: Nico Salum)
Stumbling once again to the finish line of the year 2021. I somehow always end up here bewildered and a little bit out of breath (I lend some of this lack of breath to all the holiday feasting and drinking). I guess the bewilderment is something I now should simply expect and not be the least bit surprised by. Despite all of this I can confidently say I am feeling in a good spot and ready to debrief, and after some reflection, I would best describe the year as one of hard won successes - any victories tasted, bittersweet.
Between the Beauty Beyond the Divide EP and the Mini-Tracks, it would seem I wrote just about 30 minutes of music this year. A solid amount, but this is less than I had written in 2020 and even less so than what I had set as a goal to write for this year. I could be disappointed with this backslide, but I’m not. I had pushed my abilities beyond what they were and I am very satisfied with the quality of work I produced.
Jamming at a Farmer’s Market in the Spring. Didn’t really see much sunlight during the Summer months… :|
Unfortunately, to produce this work and meet the deadlines I set myself, many of the healthy habits I built at the beginning of the year were obliterated and immediately placed on the back burner during the summer months. It was difficult enough just keeping a steady violin regimen but I can proudly say I did. Everything else got really messy. I halted my fitness routine. I stopped actively seeking out new violin students - a conscious decision, but one that was certainly noticed in the pocketbook in the later months. It is only within the last month and a half that I have begun to refold these habits and priorities back into my life.
When I had set the goal to release the EP for the Fall this year there were many underlying tasks that I had not calculated properly into my timeline. Even after everything was all written out and produced I still needed the tracks mixed and mastered, social media and general PR campaigns needed to be strategized, album artwork designed, album/track titles determined (this took me WAY longer than I thought it would because I am so terrible at naming my stuff…). I did consider pushing my release back, but I knew that once that happened it would be difficult to adhere to any newly established deadlines. Going down that path would have certainly spelled doom and any release would have become near impossible for me. I suppose this is all a part of the learning process and will certainly be considered when determining deadlines for future projects.
There were also so many great things to be grateful for this year. Most notably, Kristin and I celebrated 10 years together. I had no idea back in 2011 just how essential she would be to my growth as an individual and artist and I am grateful for the unconditional kindness, generosity, and love she has given me over all these years. I am certain that I would not have the courage to do what I am now if it were not for her support and guidance. We celebrated by taking a day trip to Malibu where we did one of our first hikes together at Escondido Falls, we hung out on the beach where we made sandwiches and enjoyed the calming breeze, and we spent the later afternoon exploring Griffith Observatory and hiking around the park. It was a wonderful day.
I don’t really remember much else from the summer months and by the time I lifted my head up from all of it, winter was already around the corner. Again, it is all bittersweet because I did actually meet the goals I set out for at the beginning and the end result was well received by my listeners. I was so happy to hear all the positive feedback from all of you.
Releasing on Bandcamp was the best decision I made for 2021. I was stunned with how much money it had generated and how quickly the platform delivered the funds to me. I was humbled by how many of you bought the EP with your hard earned money and I found myself further humbled to notice how many of you paid even more than its asking price. You all are so incredible.
Next year will be a rebuilding year where I continue to network and promote my existing music, grow my violin studio, learn new recording techniques, study more challenging violin rep, and continue to make my health and wellness a priority. I will be of course writing new music including material for a possible album in 2023 and there might even be a recital featuring new chamber music, but I am not sure if any of this will result in any new material being released in the immediate future. This year’s Mini-Tracks will be released as an album in January. Release date will be coming soon.
Always keeping it classy. (photo cred: Nico Salum)
Thank you all so much for a fantastic year. Your support and feedback has made everything worth it, and I continue to look forward to sharing my music with all of you in the future. As I had mentioned in last year’s send off, we must continue to strive for kindness toward one another. We are all stumbling through unexplored territories filled with social strife and confusion, the only way out of this is to understand that everyone is worthy of kindness and understanding. We are not each other’s enemies, there is beauty beyond this divide, and the more we speak to one another this becomes an increasingly elementary realization.
I wish you all a Safe and Happy New Year, and I hope that 2022 brings all of you good health and success.
Cheers!
J.A.G.