My Birthday Celebration and the Year Ahead
A Reset in My Multiverse Begins
A birthday feels like the one time in the year when you are justified in indulging and celebrating yourself. I now feel that we should do this a little bit daily (without making a big show of it, of course).
It feels like no small feat to stay alive these days. In the United States, we have mass shootings at seemingly random places, a whole slew of diseases, automobile accidents wherever people drive, heart attacks, murders, and so many other threats. Because our lives will end eventually, each full day is truly a gift.
Yesterday, August 28, was my birthday, and as you know, I have been celebrating all month. On Wednesday, I spent time with my family having a hefty, delicious lunch at a fantastic place called Hawkers in East Nashville, where they specialize in Asian street food.
On my actual birthday, we planned to do a day trip to Chattanooga which is less than two hours away from our house, but we decided to postpone that to next week for a more relaxing day. (We’ve been back and forth to Nashville a lot lately.) We went for a leisurely hike at a local park, got takeout from a beloved Mediterranean restaurant, and watched a movie at home with my favorite popcorn. Obviously, this was not even remotely close to the sweet garden party I had last year, but it was no less special. (My next birthday will likely have a big party because it will mark a significant year.)
My birthday is always a good time for me to reset my priorities and clarify what I want to do for the next year of my life. I have pinpointed a handful of actionable goals for the next 12 months.
Record and Release New Music.
I have enough songs in my repertoire to release multiple albums and EPs, but I am setting the bar low with a goal of getting at least two to four of my songs recorded with all the fixings. Recording music is no easy task and will take the help of a small village. I am hoping that starting this process will make it easier to record more down the road.One or Two New Film Projects
I have not released any new films since last year’s Vampire music video, and I would love to make at least one music video for one of the songs I will be recording. Additionally, I will be raising funds to make a short film, and if all that works out, lots of filming will be happening next spring and summer. (More on that later.)Ancestral Tongue Website and Performances
My band Ancestral Tongue has been operating as such for about three years now, and I would like to advance my transition away from being a solo artist a bit further. I have already started building a new website for it. Promotional photos, recordings, and a fuller presence on social media are all pieces of the puzzle I will be working on this fall and winter.
This feels like a lot, but none of this is anything I have not done before. I plan on pushing forward a little bit every day.
Starting today, I hunker down to do the work to expand my multiverse a bit more, and I will hold myself accountable to you all, my dear friends and readers, to get it all done. With each new post on WPR, I will add an update on the progress I am making with my music and films.
I would be grateful if you could at least cheer me on with an email or a comment every now and then.
This year is my year to be a worker bee in my creative life, and I am here for the honey.
I want to make my life sweeter every day.
UPCOMING SHOWS FOR ANCESTRAL TONGUE
Garden Party
DRKMTTR in Nashville, TN
Friday, September 12
Queer Asian and Pacific Islander Songwriter Showcase (Solo in the Round)
Chinkapin Craftstead in Woodbury, TN
Saturday, September 27
BoroPride
Murfreesboro, TN
Saturday, October 4
A couple of weeks ago, I went with a couple of friends to the Black Arts Bash at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville. We enjoyed a full afternoon with African drumming and dancing, a fashion show, art, and live music from the talented duo Sista Strings.
It was inspiring to see Black excellence on display for all.
.