2023 was a very hard year for me. We had three children under age of three, which meant any available help was needed all the time and I was working at a studio that was an hour (sometimes two if the traffic was bad) away from my house. Life was hard enough as it was let alone having to spend up to four hours in the car every day commuting to work. So, I knew I had to make some changes. We toyed with the idea of selling our house and uprooting our lives to be closer to my work but in the end decided to convert our garage to a studio. I was very nervous about this for a number of reasons and it felt like a gamble, but it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made.
At the end of last year I was feeling totally burnt out and as I approach my last day of work for this year, I am tired as always, but I don’t feel the absolute exhaustion and brain fog that I felt at the same time last year. I think there are a few factors at play here, but the main one is having that extra time in the day and being able to spend some time in my day doing things to look after myself, like having a swim in the ocean or meditating.
The kids being that little bit older and more independent meant that travel and some things that had been totally off the cards for the previous years were possible again. We did a family trip to Bali (which was torture), I went to New Zealand for a friends wedding and was able to do an interstate writing trip. All of these things gave me a sense of freedom again and I feel like there are a lot more possibilities than I had been feeling.
The Sydney writing trip was the first I’d done in over two years and I had forgotten how much being close to the action can really charge you up. In Feb 2025 I’m doing my first overseas writing trip in LA and Nashville. Although I’m quite daunted and feel bad for leaving my wife with the kids for two weeks, it feels really necessary for me to branch out as a writer and producer. I love country music and it’s had a massive impact on me and my writing but to be honest I haven’t written any, if many, straight up country songs. So I’ll be taking it all in and learning as much as I can from everyone that I write with.
The other thing that 2023 taught me was how important personal and professional boundaries are. Since becoming aware and implementing these into my work life I’ve also felt a lot more energised. I’ve been trying to have set times for work and family time which has been one of the challenges with having a studio at home. Things like not starting work before 9am (where possible) and not having emails on my phone have helped a lot.
The last couple of years I’ve really been doubling down on my confidence in my own taste and I feel like I’m making clearer and bolder music that I’m more proud of as a result. This year I’ve thinking a lot about how we seek validation and how that can motivate us in ways we aren’t even aware of. I can find myself looking to other people to tell me how to make my own career. What I’m working on is really owning what I truly want in my work and life, rather than what I think will look good to others or how you’re meant to do things. I still haven’t processed this thought entirely, but I think what it’s all pointing to is knowing my value in each room I walk into and being even stronger in my own convictions.
Next year, I want to get a lot better at actually playing instruments again. I haven’t played live in years and I feel my guitar and piano skills have taken a bit of a slide. I also want to learn how to play steel guitar properly. My debut solo release is coming out January 24 2025 and I’m super pumped for everyone to hear it.
If you’re reading this, thank you for being interested in what I have to say and I hope you have a beautiful Christmas and new years x