2023 End of Year Blog

​2023 is coming to a close! With the end of the year around the corner, I want to make a short post reflecting on everything (maybe not literally) that has happened, and looking ahead towards the hopefully wonderful year to come. 

I know I’m not the only one thinking that this past year has been quite difficult. It seems that leadership across all sectors, politics, and society has been failing over the last few years, if not much, much longer. The result is the same as it always is, with every day people bearing the brunt of the consequences, suffering, and experiencing terrible loss. All the while, those at fault line their pockets and accept comically oversized golden medallions. Those granted the privilege and responsibility of guiding us towards better times have sadly decided to turn their backs on our best interest in favor of their own. I can’t remember a day that’s gone by without feeling completely disgusted and dejected. Knowing that I’m far better off than most people facing hardship currently just makes the feeling even worse.

In the face of all this, I’ve found strength in the response I’ve seen from my colleagues--rallying support for each other, discussing solutions, and working to tear parasites from their strongholds. I’ve seen beautiful art created out of a backdrop of horrible ugliness. In searching for the leadership I’ve been missing for so long from our presidents and CEOs, I’ve found it in my friends and colleagues who fill the gaps left open by incompetence. I see it in the teachers who strive to provide students with a remarkable education despite an often unworkable environment, and in activists who manage to push progress forward despite it being the opposite of what this ugly old machine was built for. For me, this coming year marks a turning point. Although I’ve been trying to do my part for the arts since the start of this blog, 2024 will mark the beginning of a new goal of mine to do everything in my power to help. I believe in the flourishing of an industry which is by and for the artists who make it. It exists right now inside the budding work of these inspiring colleagues of ours. I can’t wait to see it bloom.

Photo by Theodor Sykes on Unsplash

If you’re reading this, first of all thank you, the fact that anyone reads these rambles is one of the biggest compliments I could ever receive. Second of all, I know you’re likely already on board with this initiative, in fact you might have already been fighting for a long time. I also want to thank you for that too. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming this new year with the promise of continuing our work. That bloom will be worth it. Thank you again for reading, and as always, happy jamming! See you next year.