June 2, 2026 – Guitar playing updates/ a surprise while I was writing!

Getting back into playing the guitar has been a fun, but also, somewhat, stressful endeavor. On one hand, I’m getting back into learning songs by ear, some new and some revisited. Recently, I’ve been trying my hand at some Marillion songs, mainly “Kayleigh” and “Seasons End.” I have the chord progressions and picking patterns down for both, but I’m still working out the guitar solos. It’s been fun mostly, but the stressful aspect comes from, what I think is, that darker side that exists in every creative-leaning person. If you know, you know. I’m talking about the nagging feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, the worry that I won’t be as good as my musician friends who crank out original work all the time. Because the thing is, as of now, I’m primarily good at learning other people’s songs. I have co-written original work in the past, but I managed to scare myself away from pursuing that further, a regret I have. I know at 29 I still have a lot of years left and, therefore, a lot of time to right certain wrongs. The process can just be full of mixed emotions.

On a happier note, as I was typing out this blog entry, I got a Facebook message from none other than Jerry Ewing, editor for PROG magazine, that said the following:

“Hi Julia, do you fancy giving us a choice for the Playlist for the next issue of Prog Magazine? An album, new or old, of proggy persuasion, that you’ve been enjoying a lot lately.”

It’s a small contribution, I know, but I was over the moon when I read it. I’ve tried getting in touch with Jerry a few times over the years but was never successful. I’m not sure what led him to message me. I’m wondering whether it was a randomized choice or if, even better, maybe he came across one of my blog posts. I don’t know, but I’m still excited to do it.