Happy New Year – my toast for 2010 is to real connections
2008 was probably one of the worst years of my life. However, that doesn’t matter much anymore. To me it’s how I got past it, and where I am today. Over the past year it became clear to me that music is an integral part of how I connect to the world.
Early in 2009, I shifted my focus on how to be happier, to re-center, and reconnect. I ventured out to some house concerts. Attended much of the In the Dead of Winter Festival, and headed to Cornerbrook to volunteer with the ECMAs. In general, just went out to see live music more and more often than I had in years. And I started feeling better and better.
After much list making and soul searching, I began to remember the person I was in the past. I became determined to make bring music back to the center stage of my career. After many turns in the road since my days with Sam the Record Man things have finally come full circle.
I have been on the net for over 15 years, worked as a network administrator for a few years, and run an ecommerce business for 6 years. But in the past 6 months I’ve seen change come so rapidly it’s no wonder we are all scrambling to keep up.
As you know, the industry changed dramatically over the past decade due to the digital download revolution.
Most recently however, social media and handheld devices have diluted and divided our attention.
In this world of digital connections, many people are not making real connections as a result. Social media is only a tool. At the root of all communication is the message.
It seems to me that we are about to enter a renaissance in technology and communication. I believe we are beginning to remember we all need something real to hold on to. The media has never been the message for me.
Even though we share music through electronic media, and facebook and twitter about it, at the end of the day music is real. Music has allowed me to make many good friends and communicate better with old ones.
And so I look forward to 2010 knowing that I am back where I belong with new perspective. I feel it truly will be a Happy New Year…and look forward to making real connections.