It's been a very crazy year.

Hello again!

It’s been close to six months since my last post. I can’t believe how fast time flies when you’re procrastinating your own stuff. At the same time, I feel like I’ve done so much that I can barely keep my head above water.

The world of freelance work is a cruel and mysterious one. Some months, I was the most employed man alive, working multiple 60-hour weeks, and other months, I had only two days of work every two weeks. But with this being my first full year working for myself, I have to give myself a pat on the back. I was able to support myself without needing to pick up any crazy moonlighter jobs, and that alone feels like a win.

Learning New Skills (and Loving Music Again)

The biggest step I took in my career this year was committing to learning new and valuable skills. Shortly after my first blog post, I entered a month-long intensive education program to learn the luthier and guitar technician trade.

Learning from true luthiers in Chicago, the city that was once the guitar capital of the world, was incredibly special. And boy, did I learn a lot. Since then, I’ve taken on guitar maintenance and repair as an additional form of work, which has helped reignite my love for music in a way I didn’t expect.

Something about going to an arts college can make you really cynical about your own creations. I think the blend of time away from academia, combined with working alongside other musicians recently, has brought me back to wanting to prioritize my place in Chicago’s music scene once again.

Playing Shows Again

Speaking of music, I played a show for the first time in two years with my band T. Maguire.

This project has been very special to me. The band consists of my two roommates, Nick and Dimitri Karlos, a former bandmate from And Then What… (Luca Cece), and Daniel Arechiga of Milkswarm. We practiced together for the first time in March of 2025, and on Black Friday of this year, we debuted alongside Joey Apter and Nikel Martinez (also of Milkswarm), who played their solo projects, as well as the undeniably talented Underwear.

It was a super fun night where we played five original songs, which I’ll link [HERE] for your listening pleasure.

We’ll be playing many more shows in 2026, along with recording and (hopefully) releasing music. This creative venture has been such a positive force in my life. I can’t even put into words how grateful I am to go into a room once a week with four of my favorite people and create art.

Looking Back on the Year

Looking back, this year was nothing short of monumental. It was my first real year post-graduation, working a job I love while supporting myself. That might not sound like much to some, but to me, it’s everything.

And it’s all because of people like you, whoever you may be, reading whatever I decide to vomit onto a website that I made.

Year in Review

As a quick summary, here’s what I worked on this year:

1 - Feature Film

1 - TV Show

3 - Sports Broadcasts

2 - Short Films

2 - Albums

1 - New Band

1 - New Educational Certification

16 - Guitars Worked On

From January to December, I had something going on every single month. Next year, I plan to build on all of this with even more work. There are so many people to thank for getting me this far, and to all of you, I truly can’t thank you enough.

Before I go, I’ll leave you with a recommendation for a place in Chicago to eat, because I had it last night and it was so good.

Food Pick: J&K Golden Wok

📍 3329 N Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60641

This place recently opened right up the street from the gym I frequent, and they boldly advertise having the “best fried rice in town.” Being the cynic I am, I had to try it for myself.

Let me tell you, they deliver, and I’d argue they over-deliver.

The portion alone is worth the $12 price tag for what they comically call a “small.” A small could easily be two very filling meals, with meat in every bite. They pack the rice so full that the to-go container has to be stapled shut. Everything is made fresh to order, and the flavors are classic, clean, and dangerously addictive. It gets to a point where I have to force myself to put the chopsticks down.

As someone whose first job was in a local Chinese restaurant, finding one this good really means something to me. It brings me back to being 16, taking orders and boxing up endless containers of fried rice. You never know what you’ll stumble across in Chicago, and that sense of discovery is one of the biggest reasons this city keeps me exploring and reinvesting in my local community.

It reminds me how lucky I am to live where I want to live and do what I want to do.

Be Back Soon

After this very verbose and lengthy post to make up for disappearing over the last six months, I must bid you adieu. It’s now 2:30 a.m., and I’m off to lie in bed and conjure up a new Magic: The Gathering deck.

Thanks for being here.

-Luc Hedstrom 12/30/2025