…We’re already nearly through the first month of 2024?
It seems so. As cliché as “this year went by so fast” statements may be, 2023 may have genuinely been the fastest year of my life; time perception is a fascinating thing at times. It’s also with confidence that I can say that it stands as the weirdest year of my life, due to a variety of events that I’d better divulge elsewhere.
But 2024 is a new year, and the start of a new year means more time to reflect upon how one can improve from the previous year — and what better way to do so than with a blog post on my personal website? For starters, it’d clue people (i.e. those still on my Facebook friends list) in as to where I’ve been in the last seven years since graduation. Additionally, it’d be a good way of gauging whether or not people (namely, the select handful from my time at Stetson who are in my Facebook friends list) are actually interested in using my (work-in-progress) website and that the web hosting bills to keep it up and running aren’t in vain.
On the topic of cliché statements…you’ve already heard everyone else’s experiences of not knowing what to do next with their newfound freetime after graduating college. At the risk of coming across as a snowflake, not only can I relate to their experiences, but it’s also obvious to some who know me that a lot of my struggles have been especially unique, with addressing my transportation situation being one of the foremost concerns for me.
Thankfully, these last few years have been transformative with finding my footing: I’ve finally gotten my feet wet in the realm of retail, between my former job at Office Depot and my stint (technically, two stints — you could consider the former one a seasonal position of sorts) at the Stetson University coffeeshop, applied for my first credit cards, and I’ve explored more places I ever have in my life. Even without currently owning a car, I’ve gotten ahead just fine…though when the car does happen, I’m going to do my best not to dance like this:
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Anyways, my journey makes me realize how…nontrivial a lot of life accomplishments are. We all already know that nothing is handed to you on a silver platter, but spending most of my childhood being homeschooled made me gradually learn how to take on tasks that other people learned in school. Cartoons and sitcoms make it look easy, as we see character go from one situation to another seemingly effortlessly. But I learned the hard way that the path isn’t as straight as I had thought. And that realization was necessary, so that I could finally break out of the rut of constantly pacing around the house and spending too much time on my life absentmindedly scrolling through social media. Another huge realization as to how to get ahead? The importance of connections.
But in turn, that realization made me realize how hard connecting really is; it’s easy to get a vague mental picture of forming connections — almost as if connecting was as easy as pressing a big red button that says “Connect” or sending an email that says, “I want to connect!” — until you actually have to discover firsthand whom to contact, where to look, and perhaps most significantly, how to be natural and not be an awkward nerd in doing so.
Still, they come up from time to time, and connections have a habit of multiplying from there. And they always seem to be found at the most unexpected times.
Where am I going next moving forward? Good question.
For starters…I’ve made the decision to return to the music scene. That’s right: I’ve been brushing up on both the synthesizer and guitar (albeit very-on-and-off — then I wonder why I don’t get as much accomplished as I want to). This time, however, I’m taking a drastically revised approach:
- I’m taking creative control of my own craft back this time. This time, I use my own free time to choose the direction in which my craft goes.
- I’m focusing on more modern styles. Jazz, synthwave, rock, and so on.
- I’m heavily emphasizing teamwork this time. This may sound as though it contradicts with #1, but having the free time to be able to control my own craft is different than choosing to work with others. And indeed, I realized that music production/performance is most enjoyable when you don’t forget the social aspect of it.
But music is just one of many of my new directions for 2024. I’ve also been making stops at the Lynn Business Center, Elizabeth Hall, Flagler Hall, and the duPont-Ball Library for potential resources; the former three being the departments for the business department (duh), computer science/math department, and the digital arts department, respectively. You’d be surprised at what you can find, such as the free books they offer.
Last of all, I’ve been doing my best trying to piece together a handful of creative projects that have been in the works for a long time. It’s probably best for me not to be vague about what exactly they are (seeing as though 95% of whoever’s reading this will probably forget that I even mentioned it shortly after they finish reading this post), but only because there’s a lot of details to work out first. You’ll hear more, I promise.
Anyways…enough rambling for now. As I spend the rest of the night relaxing with some candlelight, a good video game, some music (as a self-care gift, I got myself a pair of snazzy audio eyeglasses — here’s a link, if you’re interested), and a rewatching of Amadeus, I’m still cautiously optimistic for what 2024 will bring, and I’m also excited to write more of these blog posts as a digital journal of sorts to chronicle my life from day to day, as everything I wrote here was just the tip of the iceberg (so that I don’t keep procrastinating any more than I already have). If you want to collaborate somehow, feel free to hit me up at either Facebook Messenger or at my LinkedIn and I’ll see what we can accomplish, or if you (gasp)just want to be friends. Maybe I could make you a refreshing coffee at the coffeeshop or something.
Until next time — here’s to a great new year.