Thank You 2022, For An Incredible Year of Growth.
Wow. Where do I even begin? Every single time I say "I can't wait to see what's in store next year" I swear, life keeps outdoing itself and proving that my concept of "great" is minuscule to what God actually has in store for my life.
I'd have to say that 2022 was quite possibly the most challenging year for me. Although, enduring a global pandemic undoubtedly had its own unique category of difficulty. 2020 was hard, but interestingly enough, I went into full superhero mode that year. I think the years following were an after-effect of what I did during that one. What I mean by that is, in 2020 I focused my energy on giving people peace, a hope and comfort during a very scary and confusing time. By doing that, it helped me tremendously as well. I spent all that time crafting little "mini-virtual experiences" for people so that "staying at home" didn't feel mundane and hopeless. And so, off camera, that involved a lot of prep work on my end. The beautiful thing that came out of this came was I created a community of supporters and true fans. This made me want to keep growing and pushing my boundaries. That's why I released an album. That's why I said yes to the next opportunity. And the next. and the next. And now, we are here.
In a nutshell, 2022 allowed me the beauty of time and to really discover myself. I could finally use up and fill my time in the way that I wanted. And I am genuinely grateful that I had that luxury this past year. I used to live on autopilot, trying to reach goal after goal but not actually living. I felt empty all those years up until this one, to be quite honest.
The struggles I faced were not as obvious, most of it involved self-work. I went to therapy for the first time this year, realized and uncovered a lot of self-sabotaging habits, which helped me realize why all these years I felt like I was doing "what I'm supposed to" but still never felt good enough. I worked through that, and now I feel like a brand new person with new eyes. I see life so much more differently. I also see people differently too. And I think this new perspective shift is what allowed me to connect and touch more people. And this also helped me tap into my manifestations way quicker.
Some big highlights of last year were:
We performed over 79 events last year. 50 of them were weddings, the rest were a mixture of corporate parties, neighborhood events, and family milestones. INCREDIBLE. I am so humbled by the amount of support you all give me by letting me be a part of your special moments. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
playing the Bluenote not one but TWO times, after trying to play there for years
having a band and not playing solo so much. This was THE HARDEST learning curve to overcome, I had no idea how much harder it was to put a band together and prep them for a show.
I WON A NATIONWIDE CONTEST. And got to sing with Allen Stone!!! Oh and small flex, but we're buds. Serious. I have his phone number and everything.
Anuhea, opening for her at The Republik AND going on tour with her! I went to 9 cities in 11 days, seen and traveled in snow, had a road trip with my childhood best friend, and met some really cool people along the way.
My goals for this year involve a lot more of me getting out of my comfort zone. I'd love to do more touring, maybe even be a part of big festival shows, and who knows... maybe even move away for a bit. I'd love to live in either LA or NYC just to say I did it in this lifetime. But who knows, for now, I'm going to continue having faith that what's meant to happen will. I can't wait to share more with you as the months go by. I think this is a good place to stop my first blog entry.
Until next time! Wishing you a great start to a new month in 2023!