a whole bunch of lists (happy new year!)
hello wishers and dreamers,
I hope the holiday season treated you kindly!! I'm a personal fan of New Year's time because many of its rituals involve one of my favorite tasks: making lists.
Before we get into that, a brief announcement: I will be doing a short livestream set on the Songwriter Showcase instagram on Monday, January 9th at 8pm EST! More details will be announced on their page this week. Hope you can tune in!
And now...... some lists.
Professional Highlights 2022
Quit my part time customer service job to go full time as a freelance musician. I still can't believe that's my life.
Got to be a part of so many strangers lives through the work that I do on Fiverr
Played not one but two events at the New York Botanical Garden
Released teenage dream/back of a car
Did a dreamy photoshoot with one of my favorite photographers for that song
Recorded a song for the viral Birthday Card collaborative album
Was featured as one of Make Music's artists for the year
Had my first radio interview
Played Porch Stomp on Governor's Island
Played two shows at Rockwood Stage 1
Wrote some of my favorite songs I've written so far
Other Life Highlights 2022
Saw Harry Styles thrice in concert
Saw The 1975 at Madison Square Garden
Ate one of the best meals of my life at Dinner Party BK for my birthday
Took a weekend friend trip to Washington DC
DM'd the game Wanderhome for my friends
Went to the Tampa Aquarium and touched a sting ray and some jellyfish
Started learning Japanese
Reconnected with some old friends
Saw Ocean Vuong give a talkback about his new book
Attended the invited dress of POTUS on Broadway
Continued learning how to rest
But Life Isn't All Highlights So Let's Get Real 2022
Went through a really tough mental health period in the early spring
Ended my first relationship
Got covid
Stressed over finances as a freelancer
Dealt with roaches in our apartment
Cried a lot in therapy
Had to go to physical therapy for back pain after working out of my bed for six months lol
Worried that I'd never make a new friend again
Got too addicted to TikTok and had to quit
Wanted to quit music
And some other more personal stuff I don't need to put in this newsletter (no offense)
Life is a balance!!! Goods and bads. I know at this time the deluge of everybody's highlights can be tough to sift through realistically but it helps me to remember that highlights are just that and that the truth of how someone's year went is much more nuanced.
I'm still super grateful for 2022 and all of my growth and progress, nonlinear as it might've been. I feel renewed excitement and hope for what 2023 might bring.
Big Dreams for 2023
Double my income as a freelancer
Release an EP and a bunch of singles
Play at the NYBG again!
Get selected as a featured artist during this year's Tiny Desk Contest
Get into SXSW for 2024
Get off the perpetual consideration list and actually get to play on *** ******* ****
Open for an artist that I love
Play a show in a city outside of NYC
Play a show to an at-capacity crowd
Sync licensing placement for one of my songs
Get signed to one of the following: Saddest Factory, Dirty Hit, Tin Pot Records, Birthday Cake, or other similar scale label
Hope You're Not Tired Of Lists Yet Here's One More (Favorite Art of 2022)
Caprisongs - FKA Twigs (Album)
Harry's House - Harry Styles (Album)
Being Funny In A Foreign Language - The 1975 (Album)
The Girl Who Drank The Moon - Kelly Barnhill (Book)
Nope (Film)
Convenience Store Woman - Sakura Murata (Book)
A Starstruck Odyssey (TV/D&D Actual Play)
Succession (TV)
The Met Costume Exhibit (Museum)
Richard III - Shakespeare in the Park (Theater)
Touch Tank- quinnie (Single)
Oops I lied here's one more final one.
List of people that I am glad are here:
You
May all your new year's wishes come true,
Em