Leaning Into Potential
Mapping out music, work, and creative focus for 2026
Why 2026 Is the Year of Potential
Last week I reflected on 2025—so this week, I want to look forward. The word I’m hanging my hat on for 2026 is potential. Call it a word of the year, a values-based resolution, or a cliché if you want, but right now this year feels wide open with possibility.
This isn’t a full-on “new year, new me” reset—but it’s not not that either.
A New Role, A Familiar Skillset
I started a new job this week and traveled to Washington, D.C. to onboard as the Digital Director for Principles First. Depending on when you’re reading this, I may still be there wrapping things up before heading home and fully stepping into the role.
What excites me most is how familiar this work feels. I’ll be building social media strategy, editing video, writing emails, supporting volunteers, livestreaming, and traveling around the country. In a lot of ways, it’s everything I’ve been doing for my music over the past five-plus years—just applied in a different context. Honestly, it’s work I’ve been doing in one form or another long before I ever called myself a musician.
What This Means for My Music
Naturally, the big question is: what does this mean for my music, touring, and creative output?
At first, I worried it might mean less time. Historically, I haven’t followed much of a calendar outside of Substack and my weekly livestream. I write songs when inspiration hits—sometimes in bursts, sometimes after long quiet stretches. Taking on a demanding new role made me nervous that those quiet stretches would grow longer.
But something unexpected happened.
Structure as a Creative Ally
In preparing for this job, I built a 30-day and 90-day work calendar—and that process pushed me to do the same for my music. Repetition is key in digital work, but it’s also good for me creatively. So I mapped out a simple, repeatable rhythm.
The anchors:
Weekly livestream
Weekly Substack post
New: a free blog post every Monday on Patreon
I’ll focus platform-specific content (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok) on Tuesdays and Fridays, and reserve weekends primarily for Patreon. It sounds like more—but somehow it feels more manageable, not less. Clear lanes help me stay focused and accountable.
Doubling Down on Patreon
I also revamped my Patreon tiers and added new perks, and in 2026 I want Patreon to be where my creative energy really lives. That means more demos, more behind-the-scenes content, and more honest documentation of the creative process.
Right now, I have three paying patrons—huge thanks to Jacob, JC, and Krista for sticking around during a mostly inactive year. My hope is that 2026 becomes a year of real growth here, not just in numbers but in connection. Maybe this is the year you consider joining. Here’s a link to check it out.
Substack as a Creative Home
Substack will continue to be a place where I write from the heart. Last year I said I wanted to double subscribers—and I didn’t—but that’s largely because I wasn’t really using it well. I treated it like a newsletter instead of a writing space.
That’s changed. I enjoy writing here now, whether it’s about songwriting, albums like Ghost Stories: Songs of Disorientation, or the intersections of faith, politics, and art. It keeps me sharp, grounded, and honest.
A More Sustainable Approach to Touring
Touring in 2025 was one of the highlights of the year—but also exhausting. In 2026, I’m aiming to limit out-of-state shows to one weekend per month, with up to three shows, plus local Indy gigs when they make sense.
With the travel demands of my new job, I’m hoping to align work trips and shows when possible. If it works, great. If not, that’s okay too. Sustainability matters more than volume.
Choosing Potential Over Perfection
So that’s the potential I’m reaching for in 2026. I’ve mapped it out—but I know there will be forks in the road, detours, and unexpected changes. Still, I’m choosing to lean into what could be instead of fixating on what might go wrong.
Hopefully, when I look back on this year, I’ll see that I met at least some of that potential.
What potential are you reaching for in 2026? I’d love to hear—drop a comment below.
Remains of Time (aka announcements)
I’m booking for shows, be they full band or solo for 2026. From house shows to restaurants and bars and venues, I want to bring my music to you. Let’s set something up. Message me or send me an email at music@joshgillespie.net. Have guitar will travel!
So far, only one show to announce and that’s coming up and it’s on Thursday, January 15th 2026 at the Melody Inn. It’s a full band performance with the Nomad Collective! Joining us on the bill will be the AMAZING Katie Jo Robinson (one of my personal local favs), Aftermarket (a great band headed up by the extremely talented and lyrically prolific Aaron Lipp) and Altitude, a band I haven’t heard, but I’m really looking forward to. Doors open at 6:30pm, show starts at 7:00 and my band goes on at 8:30. Totally early enough for you to come out and see us. The door is $7 to get in. Pretty affordable for this lineup if you ask me! Hope to see you there.
