2020 has not been the year any of us were expecting or would have wanted. For many of us, it has been a year of adapting, re-focusing, restructuring how we live our daily lives and work and just surviving. I’ve watched my industry all but collapse as live music ground to a halt, and I continue to shield my vulnerable parents as they wait for their vaccines. As a sufferer of OCD for many years, it has been extremely surreal to see many of the habits and behaviours I fought so hard to overcome over the past decade, suddenly become common practice and necessary. That nightmare scenario I spent years dreading has happened. But despite all that, there have been many positive and inspiring stories of heroism and survival, and in some ways, my OCD past has actually helped me to deal with this past year better than I could have anticipated. As always, my coping mechanism is to channel everything into my music and keep going come hell or high-water, even if that has meant finding new ways to perform and record. That’s about the best advice I can give to anybody struggling – find that which sparks a passion inside you and forge ahead with everything you’ve got! But that said, hiding under the duvet every now and then is definitely allowed 😉
With the 2020 summer festival season cancelled, I have been focusing instead on other aspects of my music business and recording new songs, which will be released next year. I've been able to collaborate with some wonderful people over to course of the year – remotely of course – and this has really helped me cope with the challenges we have had to face with much less fear. Artists and creatives are resilient and adaptable - we have to be - and I am enormously grateful for everyone's support and for being able to keep in touch online 🙂
So, as 2020 draws to a close, I hope you are doing ok with whatever you have been fighting against this year, and though there are sure to still be struggles ahead and it continues to be scary, there are at least some chinks of light at the end of the tunnel. When all else fails, you have to try and keep having faith in yourself and I believe we can rise from the ashes of 2020. Keep looking after yourselves and the people around you and I’ll see you in 2021.
New Year Blessings,
Livia )O(