Letter No. 42 [2020 artist recap]
Dear Friend,
We’re here. We made it to the end of December. I don’t know about you, but the time this year has done a strange trick of speeding by some months and sticking to every day other months. But the year is almost over, and I wanted to share a few highlights of the year. I love looking back at the end of a year and seeing what the Lord has done. If you’ve never done this before, it’s really encouraging to do/see.
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2020:
In March, April, and June, I did a bunch of research about starting a business, filing taxes, and being self-employed, and then I registered my LLC!
This is a photo from my first “business” photoshoot…my sister took the photos in our backyard one summer evening. :)
2. Someone gifted me a beautiful, 7-foot grand piano! It’s almost 100 years old and needed a little work/a couple tunings, but it now plays beautifully and I can’t believe it every time I sit down to play.
The outside is this beautiful, dark mahogany, and it fit perfectly into this space in our living room. :)
3. I started my Society6 shop (it’s a print-on-demand platform) about the same time. I have both abstract and illustrative work on there. This shop is actually something I want to keep growing in 2021 because I think it could be a great source of passive income—I want to add a new piece every month in 2021!
This is one of my illustration pieces on my shop.
4. I started my piano studio and now have ten students. We had our first (virtual) recital this month, and will start lessons next week for spring semester (hopefully we can do a recital in-person this time!).
I made a YouTube playlist for my students and parents to watch all of the videos. I had never done something like this, but it was actually pretty easy!
5. I started a music instagram account in June and have seen consistent growth since then as I share about my music. I’ve been doing a 100 day composing challenge (taking longer than 100 days…) and am almost done at day 87!
6. I released my first two singles (and filmed a music video!). I have some big music goals for 2021 that I’ll share below, but I’m so excited just to finally be SHARING my music. Everyone has blown me away with their support and love, so thank you.
7. I tried starting up a portrait photography business and decided it WASN’T what I wanted to do. I also had to step back from illustration to focus on music. This was a valuable experience because spreading myself too thin and experiencing burn-out are things I struggle with, and it was valuable to learn to say “no.” I do still love taking photos though (these are of my younger sister in Newport, RI).
8. I started an e-newsletter and have been writing these blog letters for more than a year now! With the blog, I wrote a letter every week for most of the year, but this past month, I decided to pull back and write 2 per month (and I’m finding it much more enjoyable and manageable).
NEW THINGS FOR 2021:
I usually make a huge list of resolutions and goals every year, but this year, I’m doing away with that. Ha. I just have a few goals:
1. It’s kind of cheesy, but I’ve picked a word for the year: Bravery. I’m a very fearful person, and I’ve let that stop me from doing a lot of things in the past. I just want to be brave to put my work out there, make connections with people, and see where things go. I’m terrified, but also excited!
2. Save up money to move to Nashville! I’ve been thinking about this for some time (aka, a month), and it seems like the best place to be for Christian music and just making music connections in general. I don’t know how long I would stay there, but I really miss the music community. In college, I was always around other musicians—in classes, practicing, performing, learning and growing together—and I was inspired and pushed in that environment. In my research about Nashville, I keep reading/hearing that the community amongst musicians/people in the music industry there is very encouraging and growth-oriented, which is something I’m looking for.
3. Release 1 single every month in 2021 (so do everything myself, from recording, to mixing, mastering, and marketing). This is a goal I’ve had for a while, and I have a couple reasons for it:
-learn my recording equipment and the mixing/mastering process
-get more music out there!
-learn more about marketing and improve what I’m already doing
I’ve already recorded and mixed my new single for January—now to finish mastering it and start the marketing/release process.
What are your highlights from 2020, and do you have any goals/changes you want to make in the new year? I’d love to hear about them!
Sending love,
Tara