2017 Retrospective
Today is the first day of the new year. I woke up and brewed some coffee, did some devotions, and watched as the Salvation Army march the rose parade… then proceeded to fall asleep for the rest of the parade. Normally the week before the New Years is figuring out what plans actually make sense for the next year, and the week after is really just looking back to what happened the previous year. So let us see what happened in 2017.
The year started with myself recovering from a severe car accident, and thus the first half of the year was recovery and then finishing school on pure adrenaline, but that isn’t quite exciting at all. But hey, I graduated with a B.M. in Music Performance in May! During this time though my Tuba Quartet did make an appearance as the Guest Artist at Westmont University and an invited group to the South Western Tuba Euphonium Conference where we presented a 30-minute set.
Then the beginning of the summer came around and I took a bit of time to sleep before heading off to India to play a few concerts and teach some music to the people of Aizawl. Spending about ten days there, it was a time to really learn and appreciate a new culture. Also around this time I started my website and created the brand “rondeaucreator” as my chosen title for my creative endeavors.
Later that summer, Think Tank launched and we have released 13 episodes to really try and figure out the method of podcasting. This upcoming year, I hope to be able to produce more episodes on a more consistent basis now that I know a little more about what I am doing. Also this summer, my patreon launched! An area to test my writing and attempt to practice while attempting to make a little money on the side. I am hoping to develop the patreon a little further as I pursue some more writing paths.
September I started a new job that involved cooking, banquet serving, and other various food-related activities that were used to supplement my income and help pay the bills that sorely needed to be paid. I have been able to learn a lot about cooking and basic kitchen applications as well as hone some of my knife skills.
In November, Danny Allinson, the executive producer of pwrlvl podcasting network, and I decided to take my ongoing D&D game and put it on twitch in the new year. This past story arc was titled “Rise of the Wounded King” which paid homage to the classic D&D monster a beholder. The party played on the theme of trust and my party grew as storytellers and creative minds.
We just recived the art of our 5th character but haven't implemented it in the promo.
November into December was a huge focus on being a euphonium player again. I lost a lot when I was in recovering from my car accident. And it wasn’t until early December did I feel at the level of expertise that I was at prior to my car accident. Something I am growing on as I enter into audition and competition season.
So professionally speaking, we have seen some growth which will allow some grace to some of the other things going on in the United States this year. But that second half of 2017 of growth can be used as a platform for being able to grow into the new year. God Bless as y’all reflect the goods and bads of the past year but focus on the good as much as possible.