2020 has been a whirlwind of new beginnings for me. I started on too many things at once, leaving me feeling overwhelmed. What are these pursuits, you ask? Let’s break them down.
Embracing Music
On New Year’s Eve, I picked up the bass guitar with the intention of opening my heart to music. My counterpart plays the piano, guitar, and bass guitar, so I found myself trying to play all these instruments too, albeit reluctantly at first. Although I am not very skilled, I can follow along with some guidance.
At the office, my colleagues Sarah and Amin play the ukulele. The ukulele is cute and seemingly easier to enjoy. I started learning the ukulele concurrently.
Can you imagine playing three types of string instruments, especially when you’re new to most of them? This is my journey of opening my heart to music, or not.
Passion for Writing
Writing has always been my passion. At the office, as a legit writer now, I am learning to write better from all my colleagues, most of whom have degrees in English or Communications. Even my comms planner, Khair, writes better English than I do.
My favourite senior writer, Harizal, translates English to Malay like he is secretly with the Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books (ITBM). His feedback on my work helps polish both my English and Malay writing skills. Working alongside these talented individuals and having daily opportunities to learn and hone my craft is the best thing that has happened in my career.
Additionally, my department has provided us with access to MasterClass, and I was the first to take advantage of it this year. Being the obsessed audio content consumer that I am, I’ve completed courses by Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Gladwell, and Margaret Atwood. Learning from masters doesn’t instantly make you a better writer, but the opportunity and exposure make me incredibly grateful and excited to practice everything I’ve learnt.
Artistic Endeavours
Beyond music and writing, I have delved into art. At home, I have started creating more—journalling, drawing, and watercolouring. Unsurprisingly, I’ve become obsessed with paper again and recreated a separate Instagram account (after deleting my old one) to browse art accounts and possibly post my artworks.
I also have a few secret projects that I can’t reveal just yet.
2020 has truly been a year of growth, constant learning, and saying yes to (perhaps too many) passion projects.
Here’s to a year of continued exploration and creativity.
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