Peachfuzzreviews 2022 Retrospective (Which Includes 2021 and 2020)

  On December 30th, 2020, I created a blog and uploaded my first post to it. As someone that was always passionate about music, I decided that would be the focus, and wrote a review for The New Abnormal, one of my favorite albums of the year. Rereading it now makes me cringe a bit. There are a few spelling and grammatical errors that stick out like a sore thumb, and the review lacks the personality that I’d like to think my recent pieces have. Regardless, I know exactly the type of person I was in my attempt to communicate my love for music. As awkward as my early posts were, somewhere along the way I found my footing and knew how to better execute my ideas.
On December 30th, 2022, I look back at the two years of my blog. 2022 marks the year when I started to take this blog seriously, as it grew from a Hail Mary to a passion that I think about daily. When I first started, it was the end of the year and I just wanted to do something that made it feel like I didn’t waste all that time. Creating a blog was a big enough change from my daily routine that I thought it would be worth it. I don’t know what my long-term plans were (if I even had any), but my blog has become such an important outlet for me. I’ve even started my own Instagram account, @peachfuzzreviews, where I’ve been talking to others in the music community and exploring this shared interest. At ~50 reviews, I can say that this blog still isn’t in a place where I’m satisfied, but I’m also proud of the work I’ve done. Sticking with this hobby for so long is not what I expected, but it’s been a journey even through all the ups and downs. Two years of (sporadic) writing is a lot, and even if I hate looking back at my past work and wishing it was better, I know it all means something. There will be a time when I look back at the recent pieces of writing that I put my entire soul into and feel like I could improve on it, and honestly, I’m okay with that. It might be slower than I’d like, but I’m growing, both as a writer and as a person. Nobody else can limit me, and I will grow and improve until an ending that I cannot yet envision.
Creating a blog has been a life-changing event, but peachfuzzreviews would not be in the place it is in 2022 by my merits alone. Thank you to my friend Bella, who inspired this entire blog in its first stage, as an idea, after a conversation in which I expressed my fears about ending another year just existing. Without you, none of this would even have happened. Thank you to my friend Emily, who helped to push me to return to my blog after an extended period of absence, and to broaden my horizons by sharing my thoughts on an Instagram account. Our talks about music have filled me with so much life and love that I’m constantly reminded of what it means to have and share a passion. Thank you to my elementary school art teacher, Mr. Moore, who I was able to reconnect with last year. Having an adult and mentor figure affirm the importance of art and creation, lets me know that it was all worth it. You were another person in my life that helped me to continue writing and made me feel like even I had something to say, that nobody else but me could express in my own way. Thank you to my friend Ben, who created the design for the header of my blog, which is also prominent on my Instagram account. You’ve given me some valuable feedback and strong but very fair criticism I’ve had to take into account. You made me realize what “peachfuzzreviews” even is, and how to push it in a new direction. Thank you to my friend Elijah, who has always always been someone to bounce my ideas and thoughts off. We’ve had many discussions about music over the years, and you’ve had so much to say. All of your input—your praise, your questions, and everything else—has given me a much-needed look at my work from the outside and how it can be perceived. Finally, thank you to all the other friends and readers who’ve had something to say, or just enjoyed any of my writing. I’ve got an unexpected amount of feedback, all of which I’m grateful for. To be able to share my personal thoughts and feelings, which other people find value in is a gift, and I always remember that.
I don’t know where the future of this blog lies, or even how to feel. While I’m a bit optimistic now knowing my capabilities which I am unlearning my insecurities over, there is a slight feeling of insurmountable weight when considering my responsibilities as a college student and the vastness of music itself. All I can truly know is that I’ll take it a day at a time, and control everything that’s in my control. I'm not putting an end to this chapter just yet. Who knows where this journey might take me next, but I know that when it ends, I’ll be confidently able to say that it was all worth it.

With All My Gratitude,

Peach Fuzz