FEATURE:
Future Hopes
PHOTO CREDIT: Florian Klauer/Unsplash
Plans for a Brighter and Better 2023
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I think most of us…
PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Banasiewcz/Unsplash
have had a pretty unpredictable and less-than-ideal last few years. Since the pandemic started in 2020, it has been pretty tough and unusual. With everything happening politically at home and abroad, everyone has had to cut back and acclimatise. The sense of accommodation and almost dread that we have gone through is not the cheeriest to go into 2023! I am not a fan of New Year or celebrate it at all. To me, it is another day, rather than it being this fresh start. Invariably, there will be similar issues and disappointments next year as there has been this year. Rather than expect a completely different year and something akin to a rebirth, I am quite pragmatic with my projections and predictions. I do not do resolutions either – as they will never be kept -, but there have been some life events recently that have thrown things into perspective and, indeed, changed my ambitions and outlooks. First and foremost, having produced hundreds of features this year, it is humbling that the audience has grown and I am in a position where my work is being seen and shared by quite a few people. I am always grateful for that and will never take it for granted! I have one or two special things planned for next month but cannot go into too much detail. When I think about next year, I think where I live and what I do as a job (as journalism is an unpaid hobby at the moment) is going to effect how things pan out. This year wasn’t bad but, with the possibility my current job is at threat, and no real improvement in terms of my personal happiness and relationship status, I am stuck a bit. There is a word that keeps coming back to mind: progress.
IN THIS PHOTO: An artist I am very keen to interview in 2023, Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor)/PHOTO CREDIT: Suzie Howells for The New York Times
This is something that everyone needs to ponder at the start of a fresh year. Rather than thinking it is a chance to be a new person and make everything better, it is simply no different to any other year. I will need to be proactive and take some leaps in 2023. I am determined to keep the blog going as much as possible though, if I take a new job or relocate, time might be a bit more precious in that regard. I am going to run it for free, as I have not discovered a viable way to monetise it where I think people are getting value for money. I will not post updated videos or do a Patreon, as music journalism, to me, is more about the written word and communicating that way. I will try and do a podcast at some point. Requiring a bit of technical help and financing, I hope to find a space next year where I can record something. Kate Bush is sixty-five in July, so that seems like as good an excuse as any to put together a podcast celebrating that! Generally keeping the blog fresh and making sure it is relevant, has strong and diverse content and keeps the quality up. Those are the objectives I want to maintain. As much as anything, my blog has given me more pleasure, distraction, fulfilment and satisfaction than more or less anything else. I am in no shortage of feature ideas, so next year is going to be pretty busy I hope. Expanding it a little is a necessary evolution, so that will involve returning to interviews (whether emailed or via Zoom), a few live reviews if I can swing it, plus I will try and secure a few big names in music to do an interview or contribute to features.
PHOTO CREDIT: ev/Unsplash
I am also eager to see whether I can use the blog to fundraise for charities and the music industry. There are charities close to my heart such as Crisis and the Samaritans, so anything I can do to put money their way is very important! This may take the form of a challenge or 24-hour event on my blog. Maybe an endless playlist or live broadcast. Doing more than merely publishing features and posting them out there is a big ambition for next year. Eleven years after I started my blog, I think it needs to get a bit more eclectic and multimedia. Maybe some new feature ideas, bigger projects or, as I say, a podcast or two if money and situations permit. I keep coming back to the people who share and comment on my stuff. I would literally not be continuing with the blog if my features fell into the abyss and were not seen. Some so that but, for the most part, they are viewed and liked. Those small gestures of recognition mean a lot. I have new followers who I am very appreciative of, and the reliable Twitter followers I have always had provide vital support and a willing audience. Through spotlighting artists, my horizons have been opened, and I think I have improved as a writer as the year has worn on – though some may disagree! As much as anything, as was true this time last year, music journalism is a love and passion that I need to keep in my life for wellness and future careers. Maybe I will scale back on the time spent writing features and posting, but it will definitely not be a quiet 2023!
PHOTO CREDIT: Fadi Xd/Unsplash
The other side of the 2023 coin is the non-music blog side. That covers quite a large remit! I am currently living in a less-than-nice flat in London, so I keep thinking about the fact I will be forty in May. I am not one to measure myself to others or feel like I need to be married or have a dream job. I do feel, however, that milestone (if arbitrary) birthday is a wake-up call. Finding a relationship is always important. It hasn’t happened this year, but it is certainly near the top of the priorities list for next year. As many ring in 2023 latter with loved ones, it is different for me. That need for like-minded company and companionship has become much more important. Of course, that might mean redressing the work-life balance: spending more on the latter and economising on the former! Because my employment status is very much in the air, a new job in London is almost going to be an inevitable January task. I keep thinking about where I want to be and live. London does offer a world of music and options for someone like me. It is busy and diverse, yet there is chance to escape somewhere quieter. I had always planned to move to Manchester but, as it is hard to have a job and living space organised and waiting from London, the logistics is a bit tricky! Even if I am getting older and approaching the fifth decade of my life, faults and all, I still crave a busier and more buzzing environment. The noise and natural issues with city life and not going away, but I am using next year as a chance to try and make it a more positive and happier situation. I think this year has been quite a tiring one, and I come out the other end asking myself what I have achieved personally and professionally.
PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Pahel/Unsplash
When I think about the dreaded 4-0, it does put in my mind questions. They revolve around work, love, happiness and ambition. Certainly, as a journalist, there are other cities and countries that are better options. I have an interest in scriptwriting too and, as I am writing a comedy feature and have a passion for and curiosity in film/T.V., America comes to mind. New York always appealed for the music and cultures, but maybe California would suit both worlds when it comes to music and film. I know the realities of packing up and having a job and apartment waiting are extremely difficult, so it may not be something that will happen until later next year. Even at a ‘mature’ age, I still see myself working for a well-known actor or a studio. Seeing my film idea seen as progressing is another massively important goal for me. I love American culture and accents, and I think I would slot in nicely. The chance at better weather and a whole new environment definitely appeals to me! In music terms, there are publications I could work for. If I got a regular job, I would still be in a great place where I could search and find bigger opportunities and potential. I know how I am spending my fortieth (on 9th May), so I cannot make any big moves until after that. In terms of the things that I want to fulfil or address next year, they would be career, location, love, health, and fulfilment. Finding a new career maybe or city. Taking chances and being bolder with my journalism, and definitely keep battling when it comes to film studio and the perils of trying to get noticed when you are effectively unknown!
IN THIS PHOTO: Blondie’s Debbie Harry in London in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris
If they seem lofty to achieve within a year I hope, this time next year, I am in a position where I can at least say I am better off. That might be a few podcasts under the belt, a happier living space, or even a relationship. I do not see each year as this big revolution and need to celebrate. I do see the weeks ahead and know that I need to use them wisely and effectively. Whilst there will be cheer and celebrations at midnight, I am going to be (after as much sleep as you can get in London!) looking at some obtainable aims for the year ahead. Rather than them being resolutions, they are deeper aims and life events. Of course, there are smaller things that I would like to address in terms of resolutions. Health, diet and the usual are all in there. I feel, more than anything, a proactive and productive year that results in visible improvements. It may sound quite dry or boring but, actually, I have some big ambitions when it comes to music and film. I am still pushing for someone to make a Blonde biopic. I am going to do some big stuff around Kate Bush’s sixty-fifth birthday in July and, money-permitting, consider spending some time in the U.S. This year has not been bad, but it has felt a little bit wasted. Full steam ahead with the blog and achieving as much as I can. It only leads me to wish everyone else a great start…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in Japan in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images
TO a new year.