Bye bye, 2014
Let's call 2014 "a rebuilding year." This year was hard. I can't speak for everyone on the planet, but among friends, I get the feeling that we're kind of glad to see it go. But in the interest of not being a total Debbie Downer and leaving 2014 on a positive note, some highlights:
It was crazy, but I kind of sort of loved it. I have a hard time getting mad at snow. It's so beautiful, and so much more romantic then, say, a typical rainy winter. On one particular occasion, I made the 30ish-block walk home while watching taxis slide all over the place and people freak out. And guess what? It was cold, it was windy, but I survived. And my Bean boots loved it.
This was the year I really came to appreciate how much a choice to go to grad school changed the game. I literally cannot fathom what my life would be without that experience—never mind the education (sure, it was great) but the resulting friendships are the true life-changer. That is no joke. And in the case of two of them, we went to the same teeny tiny liberal arts college and didn't really know or like each other in that context. But randomly and independently in 2009, we all decided to go back to school in Savannah. How does that even happen? That's just a little wink from the universe saying, "hey, you guys should know each other." And the universe was right... An early Spring trip to Savannah and several visits from SCAD buddies in NYC this year has reminded me of this. Keepers, indeed.
Yes, I moved to the UES in 2013, but 2014 is the year I made this 1-bedroom apartment my own. I painted. I actually bought some serious furniture (OMG) and I nailed things to the wall. This is for real, folks. I'm here to stay. For a while, at least. Even these pictures look old. Maybe I'll get around to having it actually photographed some day.
Speaking of being a grown-up...
In the summer, I was bumped up from being Web Designer of a bunch of little random things to Art Director of a lot of big, slightly scary things (and a casual total of 6 brands) a little fast for my taste. I went from doing my own thing quietly every day to managing a team of designers, taking on some intense projects, but still being the one to make a male model spit out his gum while shooting in the middle of Central Park... Just keepin' it real.
Yeah, yeah, it may sound all fine and dandy, but it has been a lot to learn on my feet, and you can imagine the transition hasn't been exactly smooth. It still isn't. I'm still figuring it out. And for me, it's a challenge to be creative when I feel like I'm not in control. But I know well enough that being an adult means doing first and understanding later. Onward!
I don't really ever intend to take on freelance work, it just kind of happens. When a friend comes to me and says: "I need help!!" I can't say no. So I don't, and what happens is usually a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and we end up with a final product (logo, website, etc.) that's pretty cool to see come to life. I have to say a huge thank you/love you to Loren (Loren Hope, new site coming soon!), Roxy (Society Social), Katie (Buddy Editions) and Sara Kate (Sara Kate Studios, new site coming soon!) for keeping me equally busy and inspired outside of my day job. I'm so thankful to know and work with you amazing women, and to call you friends.
Things to look forward to in 2015: Ringing in the New Year in Savannah! Traveling more, preferably around this great country. Turning 30 in May (holy shit!) And just generally trying to work less and invest more money and time in experiences rather than things. These sound like doable resolutions... I hope.
Thank you for another great year, albeit another where I have been a little absent blog-wise. As you can see (if you're on the site) I'm making some changes to the layout, embracing bigger images and text and decluttering the rest (bye bye ads!) So hopefully 2015 will be the year of fresh starts in more ways than one. See you next year!
