A reflection on 2020...

Well, it looks like we’ve made it! A year that seemed like a decade has finally come to an end. While it has been a very tough year for a lot of people and one that will leave people with tough memories for many years to come, I’d like to carefully step aside and try and take some positive vibes and lessons from this year as we all move forward in this crazy journey of life. 

While the health and happiness of our loved ones is always the focus and the most important thing for all of us, we all must find joy and passion in other parts of our lives so that we take care of our own selves. I’d like to think that I’m not alone in believing that music may be one of the best, if not the best, way to escape all the craziness and really improve one’s mental state, in a time when it's needed more than ever. 

Throughout this year we have heard countless stories of people using music to challenge themselves, to take a break from the craziness of life, and to connect to people around them when it was needed more than ever. I have always said that the world needs more music and more musicians in order to be the place that we all want it to be, and if one good thing came from 2020, it would be just that. More people are getting the old guitar out of the closet,  setting up a virtual streaming and recording setup so they can connect and jam with old friends, or getting a new guitar or keyboard so they can connect with their young child while they are spending more time together at home than ever before. As kids are having to stay home for schooling right now, I’ve even had parents grab a drum kit or guitar, as it can be their official music class at home! (how cool is that?!) While we all have had more time to ourselves than ever before, it seems like many people have used music to fill that time in a positive way that will end up benefiting them for the rest of their lives. 

Music has always been an escape from the craziness of everyday life, whether you listen or play. I must be reminded of how lucky I am to get to work in a field that allows me to consume myself in music every single day. Luckily, I have the constant reminder of this from all of you. Everyday I get to find myself helping someone achieve a new musical goal of some kind. Whether it be a solution to a gear problem, finding a new instrument to challenge their abilities, or helping someone find something cool to spark an interest for their young kid. While we finish this wild year, I hope that you can find joy in the fact that you are also consumed by music and be aware of how lucky you are, as not everyone out there has this blessing.

While we may all start playing because we completely believe that we will be on giant stages around the world performing as if we are The Rolling Stones, we are all quickly humbled to realize what we’ve gotten ourselves into. While this at first feels defeating, we then must realize that the goal of music isn’t to be rich and famous. (some could say that may even ruin music for you). But instead the goal is to find peace, to find joy, and to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. When you start to play music, you immediately find a community of people being pulled to you, all because of your common love for music. How cool is that?! Throughout this year, we have lost members of that community, whether it be legendary rock stars that motivated us to start playing or local musicians that kept us inspired and showed us that we could play and find joy from it like we never thought possible. I hope we all remember those that we’ve lost and make sure that their musical spirit continues on through us as we push our musical abilities. 

As we move forward into 2021, we must enter it with confidence and know that the lessons we’ve learned and experiences we’ve faced in this past year will help us push through! If things do start to shift back to what we used to know as normal, I encourage you to not bail on the things you’ve learned this year. Keep that guitar out of the closet, keep streaming and recording music with your friends, and keep jamming with your kids at home! We can take this crazy year and it’s life lessons and move forward for what could and should be the best years of our lives. If music is in the center of our lives, aside from family and friends, then I truly believe that we will all find more peace, more joy, and more happiness than we ever thought possible. 

As always, I am beyond grateful for all of your support at Sims and our entire staff and family feel the same way. We are lucky to work with each and every one of you and we cannot wait to see what the future holds. 

Stay Safe and Rock On!

-Justin Sims