My un-SAD farewell letter to 2022
Friends, family, colleagues, and people I don’t yet know:
Last week, a friend lent me a SAD lamp. “This will suck the SAD-ness right out of you,” she said.
She didn’t know it, but December brings out my crankiest, SADdest personas. The holidays stir up an emotional vortex at the precise time of year when my brain chemistry struggles to keep up. I can’t blame my moods entirely on the lack of winter sunlight, but people often recommend SAD lamps to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, so I’ll give it a try. I’m hoping to temper the SAD by blasting my retinas with light for 30 minutes each morning.
It’s too early to tell.
December studio mood.
No one will force you to reflect upon your life in December, but it seems inevitable to me. This is when I have loads of free time, of resting time, and although that time doesn’t always come with energy, I can’t resist writing things down when there are spoons to spare. There are also the normal New Year reasons to reflect. I feel the world trying to gulp a big breath before plunging onward.
This solar cycle, I’ve made a list of some of the most interesting and rewarding things I’ve been a part of during the past few months. A lot has happened thanks to a new burst of energy. I wrote this down for my own benefit, but I’ll leave it here in case you’re curious what this “composer, etc.” has been up to.
13 things I’ve done since September
Hosted a one-hour Q+A with writer and activist Cory Doctorow.
Produced the Think Revelstoke podcast, a show about tourism planning in a small British Columbia town.
Composed and recorded the theme music for Think Revelstoke.
Collaborated with colleagues at Destination Think on many projects, especially a significant strategy to decarbonize tourism in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Published Daajing Giids Votes, a news aggregator website for the 2022 municipal election.
Went fishing on the Tlell River for the first time.
Played guitar at an open mic for the first time.
Read the last of four Terra Ignota novels, a sci-fi series by Ada Palmer containing 1700 pages of inspiration about the future.
Recorded a station ID for CBC Daybreak North that uses the new name of our village, Daajing Giids.
Hosted local band Möbius in the studio to record an album.
Began collaboration toward an audio installation to be unveiled in fall 2023. (More on this later!)
Taught L piano.
Voluntarily planned and hosted a party. (Not normal.)
It’s hard to be cranky when I look at this list. I’m grateful for the energy and ability I’ve had this fall.
Talking to Cory Doctorow and composing podcast theme music were unexpected highlights. Others are projects I’m proud of or times that stand out in my memories.
And this list says nothing about friends on the island, online, and on Patreon, who have helped make this life possible. Thank you.
May the increasing light suck away your SAD-ness too.
With gratitude,
David
My view from the piano at the 20s-themed gala hosted by the Haida Gwaii Museum at the Skidegate Small Hall, which I forgot to include on the list.