Emily of Linkin Park, live in Hamburg, Germany 2024.
If you ever see me bigging myself up on main, or talking excessively positively somewhere, you should know it's taken a lot for me to get to that point. I'm a person whose confidence is steeped in recency bias, and I'm writing this as we approach Christmas from a place of less work than I'd have liked in the final months of the year. It's easy from that perspective to look at myself and feel I've failed, if I only reflect on that time, or how my bank account looks in these current moments, but I really need to leave placeholders to remind myself of how incredible a year it really has been.
It began with friends, and was a year that included working in gaming even more than ever, including shooting the NAMCO launch event for Tekken 6, documenting Vampire Survivors DLC release, singing and dancing at game launches such as Foamstars and DigVR, working with Konami multiple times across various AAAs, a book release including producing, filming and editing the entire podcast and all the social clips for it, working some of the biggest gaming events of the year (before they ultimately depart from London), travelling internationally to Paris and Hamburg to cover Linkin Park shows for them, working even more in the footballing sphere, building a strong partnership up with one of my favourite creators, Nance Baker, and going to rugby and football together, sitting in the Arsenal Boxes on several occasions, going to over fifty games, and strengthening some old friendships while making new ones too.
My time with my friends the RH Experience increased so much - they returned to more regular shows, that I filmed and photographed, but also there were engagement parties, I flew to France for a wedding, I got to join the adventures of new bands forming, and have so many good heart to heart honest sit down questions and answer sessions with some beautiful friends I've known over a decade, who have always been so supportive. Conor especially, it was an honour.
I got to spend more time with Paecha, Sophie, Lucia, Cassie and Lyssa, doing events in Manchester and Birmingham as well as London, built a greater trust within the communities I've joined, and been told by multiple people that I'm the best person they've met this year, the best thing to happen to them, and I don't take that lightly.
I got to see my favourite all time band reform, attend three shows (Hamburg, London, Paris), photograph two shows, film and photograph the album listening party, and most importantly reconnect with their fanbase who I was so close with in the early 2000s. It really felt like a healing and transformative year in so many ways, and I know I've forgotten more than I've remembered.
I went on a bunch of dates, which didn't lead to longtime romance but did lead to better friendships, I helped several people come to terms with their identity, sexuality and health, and most importantly I loved continuously, constantly. I poured a lot from my cup this year and the last months lack of work is not a reflection on me but a struggling industry on the whole.
I got to be more present in so many birthdays, sit with my nieces through learnings, see my nephew get into University, and spend so much time with my parents. It's a year with lots of room for improvement, more financial safety and love especially, but one full of incredible moments and I'm very glad it happened.
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