Wow, 10 years. It feels like it simultaneously flew by and limped by. There were periods of the last decade where time felt like it stood still, and months that flew by in the blink of an eye. The last 10 years were big for me. In 2010, I had my undergraduate degree and was freelancing in Minneapolis, playing mostly musical theater and performing and recording with bands. I had a part time job at Apple as the person everyone yelled at when they couldn’t figure out how they screwed up their iPhone. I started last decade feeling a little lost and unsatisfied, and finished the decade with more drive and purpose than I ever imagined I would possess.

Its funny how sometimes you feel like you have stalled. Like all of your friends (and social media acquaintances) are whizzing into the future adorned with success and you are just sitting around hoping you’ll get called for a little work, or that you’ll do something productive that day, or that your life even has meaning or purpose. Sometimes I feel like nothing is changing, that everything has stagnated and that I have achieved nothing. Occasionally, I get lost in these periods of life and forget to take stock on how far I’ve come. Taking time to reflect on the past decade gave me some much needed perspective on this journey called life. I laugh at some of the little “fails” that in hindsight are no big deal, or would have led me down a path I realize now that I do not want, but at the time felt life-shatteringly tragic. I’ve grown so much grit and resilience, perspective, drive and passion. I said goodbye to many toxic relationships, and hello to many wonderful people and opportunities. Can you relate to any of this? Do any of these feelings resonate with you?

Below, are a few of the highlights from the past 10 years of my life.

Places I lived:

Minneapolis, MN

Norman, OK

Tulsa, OK

Los Angeles, CA

(a total of 7 different addresses)

Degrees and Training completed:

Masters of Music

Doctor of Musical Arts

Suzuki Training

Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine Certificate

Books read:

207+ I started keeping track in 2015 but I definitely read books before then. See my recent blog post about my recommended books from those years).

Races:

2 marathons

6 ( I think?) half-marathons

at least 10 5Ks

at least 3 10Ks

1 sprint triathlon

The Hood to Coast relay race (2012)

1 dressage show

1 local hunter jumper show at Sonrise Stables in Oklahoma.

Jobs Held:

3 college teaching jobs

1 conservatory prep position

3 different Sistema-program positions

Orchestra positions won:

5 successful professional auditions (and several unsuccessful auditions) + other freelance orchestra work

Other Work:

Applied for and denied from multiple college jobs and grant opportunities

Worked in a Cheese Shop (and learned a ton about fromage)

Was an Assistant Music Librarian at a professional orchestra

Sat on multiple orchestra and non-profit committees

Sad points:

Lost both of my grandfathers

Lost our family dogs Chester and Suzy

Jeff’s father and step father passed away

Forced to upend a long-term musical relationship with a teacher who was inappropriate and borderline abusive.

Highlights (in no particular order):

Met Jeff and made a life together

Adopted Blanche

Started ActiveViolinist.com as a way to start musing on musicians health and violin stuff.

Created corpßonore - sound | body | wellness a podcast and publication for musicians health and wellness

Won the concerto competition twice.

I wrote a dissertation about violin and yoga (you can access it here)

Placed 3rd in the CICA International Concerto Competition.

Played at SXSW twice

Performed at the Pizza Luce Block party in Minneapolis with Me and My Arrow (6000+ people in attendance)

Traveled abroad to Nigeria, Egypt, Costa Rica, Mexico, England, Wales, Europe for 2 musical tours - 2010 with WIVE, and 2019 reunion shows with A Whisper in the Noise and Ostinato.

Saw some incredible live performances

Discovered Iyengar Yoga

Met some of my closest friends

Started playing at the Oregon Coast Music Festival

Performed Cacti with the Tulsa Ballet

Had a Me Time Monday at the Philbrook Museum

Interviewed by Sidelines Magazine about violin and horse riding.

Wow! When you write it all down, or most of it at least, life really gets put in perspective. I’ve been rejected from so many things, but I’ve also had some incredible experiences. I’ve “lost” many opportunities but also “won” so many. Looking back and taking stock has lit a fresh fire for the future. If that’s what I did last decade, what can I do in the next ten years? I feel so much more strongly about what I want to accomplish in life now than I did then. I’m so excited for the next chapter to unfold.

When you look back on the last decade? What do you see? What patterns pop out for you? What are you most proud of?