Farewell 2023! 💝

Lessons Learned, Victories Celebrated: Wrapping Up the Year

Author

Ameya Deshpande
December 30, 2023

Salut Les Amis! Its official, my new single, Raspberry Ripple is now streaming in more than 35 countries worldwide! You can stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Tidal and plenty of other Digital Streaming Platforms. (Fun Fact: It is also available on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to add it to short form videos)

Thank you to everyone who streamed and supported the release of the song "Raspberry Ripple," making the launch a tremendous success. Regardless of how it performs on the charts, whether it climbs to the top in streaming numbers or not, I am profoundly grateful to all of you who embraced the music without knowing exactly what to expect or having heard any reviews. Your willingness to dive into the sonic journey of "Raspberry Ripple" sight-unseen means the world to me as an artist. This experience has been incredibly rewarding, and I am enthusiastic about creating more music in the future—although, perhaps, not in the immediate future 😅. Your support marks a special chapter in my musical journey, and I look forward to sharing more melodies and stories with you down the road with the release of my debut EP Turill. 😊🍄

Closing the year on this note is the stuff of dreams and this being the last newsletter of the year, I will share with you some of my key learnings throughout the year! I recently completed my personal 2023 yearly review and this is something that I have tried to do every year since 2021. So this being my 2nd year in review, I decided to dive much deeper this time. Previously, I was skeptical about taking this step but I decided to give it a try anyway. I followed a template that was shared by one of my favorite content creators, Ali Abdaal who also happens to release his first book yesterday! (You can check out Feel Good Productivity - by Ali Abdaal here!) 💝 

Major Milestones ⛳️ 

It was an hour long conversation with a reputed indian classical musician, Kunal Gunjaal that really changed my world a full 360. Kunaal Gunjaal is an award winning Santoor player He has also performed in various prestigious music festivals and conferences across USA and India such at the Pune Festival, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA), and the Gunidas Sangeet Samelan where he opened the festival for Ustad. Zakir Hussian.

Curiously, Kunaal also works as a Regulatory Affairs Manager at Intuitive Surgical, a medical device company based on San Francisco, California. Having excelled in both the musical and professional space, I had plenty of questions for him and the one that stuck with me the most was his commitment to practicing every day. Having a day job with a family can easily consume a full days worth of working hours and yet, Kunaal has a practice regimen begins in the early hours of the AM and goes on until he has to begin his day! He also utilizes more time on the weekend to practice santoor and says that he rarely watches the TV!

Hearing this, I felt something changed in me. It was momentary like the flick of a switch but from that point on, my perspective towards my commitment to guitar changed significantly. Unless I am travelling without my guitar, I find myself missing my daily practice very rarely. Kunaal's commitment to daily Santoor practice, despite a demanding career as a Regulatory Affairs Manager, serves as a testament to the potential impact of prioritizing one's passion and the I can briefly summarize the 3 main outcomes of that conversation as follows.

  1. Dedication and Time Management:

    Committing to daily practice despite a demanding schedule highlights the power of dedication and effective time management, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing passion.

  2. Balancing Passion and Profession:

    Successfully excelling in both personal interests and a professional career showcases the feasibility of achieving excellence in diverse areas, emphasizing the importance of finding a harmonious balance.

  3. Impact of Role Models on Practice Habits:

    Observing disciplined practice routines serves as a transformative influence on one's commitment to their craft, emphasizing the significant impact role models can have on dedication and consistency in creative pursuits.

So that was a small excerpt from my reflection of 2023 and I will be releasing a full YouTube video in January of 2024, where I will be sharing a lot more about how 2023 was in terms of music, my YouTube Channel, the newsletter growth to over a 150 of you guys! (Still can’t believe this number is true 😁). If you would like access to the Yearly Reflection Template, you can click the link! So thank you so much for all the support, the song streams and the responses to Raspberry Ripple. This has indeed been a fantastic year and what better way to call the year off than a song release! Phew! It was quite a lot of back end planning that was

Quote of the Week

A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic.

James Clear - Atomic Habits

Current Favorites! ❤️

Book: Atomic Habits - James Clear. Clear delves into the concept of atomic habits, tiny changes that compound over time, shaping one's identity and determining success. The book provides practical insights on how to build and break habits effectively, emphasizing the role of mindset, environment, and small daily choices in achieving long-term goals

Podcast: Not Overthinking - Ali and Taimur catch up on various topics. They also introduce a calendar widget that allows users to provide feedback on meetings.

Song: 44th Move - Broken. This contemporary jazz track has all the elements that have me hooked at the moment. Consisting of a simple melody and just 3 elements, Broken is a minimalist song but has a steady groove that keeps you hooked! If you would like to listen to more in depth analysis of songs and some of my absolute favorites curated into my own personal radio-show-esque format, give this episode of Spotify Music+Talk a listen! 🎵 😁 

I hope you have a great week and a great start to the new year! 🥰 

Ameyaxoxo

For enquiries - reach out via www.ameyaxoxo.com

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