Tracy Pham

I returned from a 2.5 month trip to Vietnam and played a show the day after at Stackt Market for Asian Heritage Month!

When thinking of my theme for 2026 (aka one word guiding my year ahead), I was inspired by my best friend, who told me her word was creative.

She's a full-time nurse, runner, weight-lifter, and recently returned to her creativity. It started with creating miniature polymer clay food as gifts for the holidays (something she loved doing when she was younger), and quickly snowballed into knitting, drawing, writing poetry, and playing her saxophone and guitar again.

Seeing her reconnect with creativity reminded me of the power of expressing yourself and how much it can inspire other parts of our lives. 

My best friend's miniature creations beside my collection of tiny instruments.

My creative journey

I loved singing and writing songs my whole life, but I never shared it with anyone, not even my loved ones. After graduating and feeling unfulfilled in my corporate job, I knew something had to change. 

It started in 2022 with reaching out to a music producer on LinkedIn (I know, what a wild place to meet a musician, but it worked!). From that one conversation, I learned about Beatcave, a music community that supports emerging artists. 

I didn’t know it then, but that moment became the catalyst for everything that followed: being part of the artist development program Honey Jam in 2023, writing and recording my first EP, and eventually quitting my corporate job to teach singing as a full-time vocal teacher in downtown Toronto. 

How I'm tapping into other parts of my creativity

About 3 years ago, I got into leathercraft after buying a handmade leather wallet from a leather artisan on Etsy. When it arrived, it was much larger than I expected (opps.. I didn’t read the measurements), but I loved the leather and craftsmanship. I remember thinking, “Why don’t I try making this myself?”. 

That thought led me down a YouTube rabbit hole, where I learned how to make my first leather wallet. 

Fast forward a few years, while I was planning what to make for my partner Michael's 30th birthday, I thought it'd be special to make him his own drumstick bag (he's a drummer and musician!). I couldn’t find a leather template for a drumstick bag so I designed it myself using measurements I found of a drumstick bag sold at Long and McQuade. 

It's something he'll have for a lifetime, just like his love for music. Making him the drumstick bag taught me how rewarding it is to make something from my own hands. Here's how it turned out… 

My partner Michael Friedman with my handmade leather drumstick bag. 

Some of my 2026 creative goals

There are many creative pursuits I want to explore and return to in 2026. 

My biggest and most important goal is to finish and release my official debut EP. I’ve been working on it since September 2024, and it’s time to complete that chapter of my life. These are songs I wrote when I was still unsure what kind of life I wanted to live. It feels like a former life, but I need to honour that version of myself and finish what I started. 

Beyond music, I want to rediscover other parts of my creativity, from painting (I used to paint in high school and took 3 years of art classes), to dance (I went 2-3 times a week before I tore my ACL), and knitting. I recently finished my first striped cardigan, and now I’m ready to challenge myself to make a colourwork sweater.

My hand-knit striped cardigan.

Looking ahead in 2026

It takes one small step to remind you how great it feels to express yourself. 

So, take that step into something that you want to try or used to enjoy doing creatively. Whether that's trying pottery for the first time, drawing your pet cat, or singing with your loved ones at karaoke. You never know where that creative journey might lead. 

It could change your life, just like it changed mine.