If anyone had the right headspace heading into COVID it was Dean Abbott.
While others may have felt like the challenges brought on by the pandemic had thrown in the deep end, the Canberra single was content.
That's not to say he wasn't effected. Abbott had live shows that were cancelled due to venues shutting up shop in the lockdown.
But as music isn't his main source of income - he also has an air-conditioning business - Abbott was one of the lucky ones who only had to focus on mentally and physically surviving his time in lockdown.
"I've had a lot of growth over the last few years and healing so I feel like all that has contributed to how I am through COVID - my headspace or being able to be with myself," the singer said.
"Whether that's forced or not, I'm definitely able to be with myself a lot more than I was.
"It's been challenging promoting the music live, connecting with audiences and doing the tour, so all of that's been put on hold. But for me, nothing has really changed in terms of my motive.
"It's always been sort of myself anyway so it's never really impacted my intentions with my music too much because it's always just been a form of self-healing for me."
By focusing on his self-care Abbott has written songs such as his debut single Healing Energy, which the singer released earlier this year.
While the song was written before COVID, Abbott says it was something that people resonated with, potentially because of the tumultuous year that 2020 has been.
"We all have different stories about what we need to heal from so I feel that the lyrics are something people can relate to in their own terms, and have their own perceptions of," he said.
"I would describe it as reflective in a lot of ways. Reflective of myself and my healing, and others may also feel that way. But it's about more of a personal journey.
"Singing in general has been about my journey, not so much about doing it for anyone else. There are no other alternative motives. It's just part of my path."
It's a journey which has led him to his first album, Letting Go, which is due out next week.
The singer, who has been likened to Jack Johnson, said he really wanted the album to be a musical representation of himself.
"It will be a real eye-opener for what my music will be about. It's like a deep journey into myself and into some of the vulnerabilities that I've had to work through," Abbott said.
"This year probably held some more space for me so instead of going out gigging I sort of was able just to lock down and do a lot more recording and sort of write some more music and more concentrate on going inwards instead of outwards, in a way."
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This article is part of the Displaced Artists Project. The Canberra Times has reached out to artists in different fields to see how COVID-19 has impacted them.
