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Is it just me, or is anyone else just a little bit hesitant to set any huge resolutions or goals after 2020? While I'm definitely excited for 2020 to get the heck out of here, I'm also a little bit scared that 2021 might just be even worse.
Nonetheless, I've been thinking about how I can ensure 2021 is better. 2020 has taught me that there are going to be things in life that I can't control, and so I've been focusing on what I can control in the new year. This has included lots of reflection on this blog, how I can utilize it to help more people, lots of dreaming my big dreams instead of shutting them down, and of course, lots of strategic planning (You could say strategic planning is my middle name).
And I've dreamed about how I can make more of a difference, share more stories and promote more voices. I've wondered how I can incorporate more things that make me feel joyful and happy and full of life.
That has all poured in to a project that I am VERY excited to share with you all! Drumroll please...
In January, 2021 I will be launching my podcast, Amplify the Arts! I envision Amplify the Arts to be a place for people who love the arts to gather, hear stories, feel at home, and to be inspired to go create and amplify the arts in their own lives. This podcast will explore why the arts of all kinds - performing arts, music, visual, and so on - are so necessary in our society and why they have the power to change lives. Between sharing stories of my own, exploring current events where the arts play a role, and interviewing lots of guests to hear their own stories about the impact of the arts, it's my hope that I'll be a more effective advocate for the arts in the state of Michigan and the US as a whole.
A little background... It's no secret that I am an artsy fartsy kid. Whether you talk to me for four seconds, or you've known me since I was born, you know it's true. I've been a dancer, I've been in theatre, I played flute for 8 years, I'm a writer, I've given flute and dance lessons, I've helped with my church's children's choir, I helped start the theatre program at my school, and I student-directed several middle school plays.
The arts have been my life for as long as I can remember, and I owe many of the skills and abilities that I have to them. I've seen more lives than just mine transformed by the arts, and knowing that I have the ability to be an arts advocate, and to help make the opportunities that I had possible for someone else has always set a joyful little fire in my heart.
This will also be my second time hosting a podcast, as I was podcast host for my college's PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) chapter podcast. I fell in love with getting to interview others and learn from them, and to do that in the arts field is all the more exciting for me!
At the time of posting this blog, I'm hoping that Amplify the Arts will be available in just about every possible place - Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud, YouTube, and more.
And of course, you can follow along with us on Instagram as well @AmplifytheArts!
I'm equal parts excited and terrified for this new adventure, but can't wait to see what happens and where it takes me. 2021, here I come ;)