winter

When winter comes, some brace and clutch the sustained hope of warmth and reflection from the holidays. This time of year can be a real gift to create, when the distractions of abundant life around us are replaced by a wrestle with solitude found in the practice of making.

I’m grateful the last month has felt like this while I work on the second FIDRA EP. I’ve had friends and loved ones ask: why revisit FIDRA after so much time? My honest answer is that it feels like a safe place to start rekindling a creative practice. A pause, albeit for the right reasons, is scary. I’ve seen my own internalised pressure to make something worthy of my own expectations build then dismantle my creativity many times over. Developing my commitment to making and sharing is the main reason for these FIDRA songs.

There is also pleasure found in this process as my musical tastes and playing style have evolved since I released the album, and I now find different ways of presenting these songs that reflect who I am today. FIDRA was also made during a strange time, a brief ambiguous pause where we connected differently and the wheels of late capitalism slowed the daily grind. This album was my escape into a fictional world of those who lived in small towns like mine and grappled with similar LGBTQ+ challenges. This work still resonates with me, and I feel a duty to the songs to make sure I continue to share them for any ears who want to hear them.

All this to say, I’m more intentional in my practice now and it feels healthier. I understand good days and bad are part of the process.

I hope the prospect of another small offering of FIDRA songs in the coming weeks may help to add warmth and creativity to your winter too.

Stewart