Happy 2024!
Where to next?
Just before Christmas a group of us went panning for gold in the hills of Perth, Western Australia. We found two tiny specks of gold. I have ten times more gold in one thin necklace at home. It felt like a pointless trip in some ways. Yet, we were out, free to come and go and enjoy nature, and connect with some of the most beautiful country, on a gorgeous, blue-sky day. The picture above was taken there, at Bells Rapids, about half an hour east of Perth city in the Perth Hills.
I love my life. It's not perfect. I don't live in a mansion in an idyllic natural paradise, getting fresh organic fruit served to me by my staff for breakfast with handmade yoghurt and honey from my own lovingly raised bees, while my music team help me craft my next hit while I eat. But it's good. I live in a nice home in a lovely city in a free country, and enjoy my work that pays my bills and helps me have food to eat etc. And yeah, I don't have handfuls of gold nuggets to help set me up for life so I don't ever have to worry about money again, but I truly have a rich life in many ways, as demonstrated in the above little prospecting story. But there are few times like the start of a new year to make you wonder: how can life be even better?
Like most folks probably do, I've been pondering where I'm going and what I'll do in 2024. My career choices over the past decade may look random to the casual onlooker...
2013-2022: work as a live musician for my main income after quitting working in broadcast media services and sales
2018-2021: study and complete a Bachelor of Creative Media (Sound)
2022-mid-2023: quit working as a live musician and take up work as an Employment coordinator in disability
mid-2023: quit working in disability to go back to working as a live musician for my main income
Looks kind of like I've come full circle and gone back to the start. In some ways, yes. But in many, no. Through that time, I've been learning more than academic studies. I've been learning how to be a human being, as you generally hope to do as you get older. And as I learn, I get better at letting go of dogmas, releasing my expectations, and stopping trying to pretend I know what I'm doing (do any of us know, for sure, what we're doing?) And I've realised that being a perfectionist is hard when you don't know what it is you're perfecting. And trying to nail that damn thing down and get on with making it perfect isn't the smart choice, it seems... So, I've come back to live music, but from a different perspective.
Thus, my hope for 2024 is to continue and improve at this 'being' business, with bent towards staying relaxed and keeping it loose. That is, taking my life less seriously, following what brings me joy, and sharing joy with others. Being not only OK, but happy about making mistakes cos they only help bring true improvement. And being at least a little less attached to certain outcomes in my life, instead of my old paradigm of "I. Will. Never. Be. Attached. To. Anything. Ever. Again," also formerly applicable to anything I tried to improve at.
Career wise, my intentions for 2024 include releasing some singles, maybe an EP or album, and a podcast. I have a couple of songs mastered and ready for release, and I'm working on a video for the first. More gigs, with fresh promotional material in the works to help that along. I'll have an update on my music plans in February. Til then, some time out...
I'm off on a 10-day silent retreat today. It seems like a good way to start my year off and to consolidate some longer-term practices that have helped me 'calm my farm' and be happier and more relaxed. So for the next week and a half, I'll be offline. If you don't hear from me in the first half of January, please bear with me - I'll get back to you on my return.
I wish for you all a solid and successful year ahead for whatever it is that you need at this point in your life. May 2024 bring you all peace and happiness.
Best wishes,
Sue
The above article is a reproduction of the Sue Summers Music email subscribers email update from 3 Jan 2024. If you'd like to get Sue's news first, subscribe at https://suesummersmusic.com/.