2021 Review + 2022 Preview

I always daydream of setting aside a proper, dedicated time to review my year — thoroughly & thoughtfully, with a lovely cappuccino and elegant scented candle nearby.

In practice, it happens in spurts: scrolling photos, reviewing my timesheet, preparing my expenses for my taxes, updating my website in a mad dash (hmm…).

Nonetheless, it’s still rewarding to pause and look back through how I’ve been spending my time, if it matches my perception or if I find myself surprised at how things add up or what has somehow faded from memory.

So here’s a high-level view of my 2021: projects, travels, and photos, followed by a sneak peek into 2022 — notably starting with my new Winter Study course at Williams College, my alma mater, hopefully followed by the first print run of my new illustrated book (the illustrations being the key task left on deck for me).

But in spite of the tangible things I’ve listed below, the honest truth is that much of the growth & accomplishments from the past year or two have been largely internal and personal. Thanks to the challenges and circumstances of the pandemic, I’ve focused more than ever on my mental health, true self-care, relationship dynamics, medical needs, and creativity. While I do see & conduct myself differently in many ways now as a result, I suspect I’ve been watering seeds that will bear fruit far into the future — hopefully they will ripen sweetly, and I will feel joy to reap what I’ve sown.

Thank you for popping by and taking a look at this snapshot of my life. I’d love to hear from you — please say hello via email or instagram.

2021 in Review

Projects

When I reflect back on what I worked on and was involved in during 2021 (thanks, largely, to my time tracking, which I’m devoted to), I see that I did get in a good mix of creative and client work this year:

I also kept up with my art practice — largely without a structured plan or specific approach, just continuing to experiment with watercolor, gouache, and (now) acrylic, mostly on paper. I painted 3 koi fish with acrylic on canvas for my dad & stepmom, a series of watercolor koi on paper for my sister, and appx 20 art cards that I sent to family + friends. (Oh, and many, many hours writing & starting the illustrations for my book, An Alphabet of Fun Facts.)

Travels

While COVID brought me back to the USA in March 2020 and completely changed my lifestyle in many ways, I’ve ultimately remained fairly mobile, staying only a few weeks or months in one place at a time. In 2021, I visited:

  • Miami, Florida

  • Fort Worth, Texas [home base at my parents’ house in my hometown]

  • Ruidoso, New Mexico

  • Asheville & Greensboro & Durham, North Carolina

  • Houston, Texas

  • Great Lakes (onboard boat for portion of the Great Loop): Cleveland, Ohio; Mackinaw City, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois

I bought a car in March 2021 — my first time buying my own car, so I’m very grateful my parents were on-hand to help guide me through the process, especially given the madness of used car purchasing this year. But it’s been great to have the freedom of my own set of wheels for daily life and road trips! (Even though I just had to buy new tires and do some repairs.)

Living at home and caring for the household on my own gave me a great insight into general maintenance and especially gardening. While I don’t have my mom’s amazing green thumb, I’ve really enjoyed learning a bit about plants & finding some joy in the meditative aspect of weeding.

I’ve also loved living with our family cat, mostly just the two of us at home (and sometimes together on the road!). He was sick for a couple weeks after Thanksgiving, which was rough for both of us, but mostly we’ve had a great time bonding with cuddle time & visits to his catnip plant in mom’s garden.

A Few Photos

I take many, many photos + videos everyday, so this is only a small selection of the year, but I think it captures some of the major and mundane aspects of the past 12 months — and life is really just the mix of both those things.

looking ahead to 2022

On Deck

I anticipate that, in 2022, I will continue to live a hybrid of my nomad life and semi-settled in my parents’ house in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas:

  • Williamstown, MA to teach Winter Study [more info below]

  • New York, NY

  • Kauai & Maui, Hawaii [my first time, please send recs!]

If the stars align with international borders and my own work + schedule, I hope to spend several months in Asia next fall — making up for my lost trip to Taiwan and Japan due to COVID in 2020, and perhaps even Korea, since I’ve gotten deep into watching K drama shows on Netflix (I’ve got good recs if you’re interested!).

In terms of projects, I have a few things in progress that will hopefully come to fruition next spring:

  • An Alphabet of Fun Facts — illustrating + printing the Book and fulfilling the Kickstarter rewards (books, prints, and custom paintings)

  • A cookbook collaboration

  • Consulting for a new museum

  • Creating marketing + content courses on Teachable

  • Converting my Williams Winter Study course into a workshop + speaking offering

Winter Study

In January 2022, I will be teaching a 4 week Winter Study course at my alma mater, Williams College:

Curation and Context: From Museums to Marketing

Nothing is truly “presented without context.” The circumstances and framing of an image or information matter as much as the object, artwork, or datapoint itself.

This course will examine how curation is always at play, complex layers of context exist, and a specific perspective is always being presented–whether we’re in a museum, looking at a website, or anything else humans made.

You’ve heard of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the British Museum in London, but what about the Wine Cultures and Civilisations Museum in Bordeaux or the Sex Machines Museum in Prague? Or perhaps you’ve scrolled through insta photos taken at the Museum of Ice Cream or the Color Factory? Speaking of social media, perhaps you’ve already begun to build your brand online?

While we may be introduced to some concept of a critical eye towards curation & the information we’re being presented during our classes and research at Williams, it only becomes more important as we encounter art, advertisements, stories, products, and propaganda in the real world.

In this course, we will explore how different museums, exhibits, and experiences curate and contextualize art & other assets for visitors–and we will apply that same analytical approach to brands, business, and individuals in the digital and online space.

We will practice asking ourselves — What am I looking at? What am I being told about it? Who is showing this to me, and why? Where does this fit into larger narratives of culture and history? And with all that in mind–what do I think about it?

Evaluation will be based on class participation (2 hours x 3 days / week), two short (2-3 page) papers, and a final project presentation. Outside of class, you will have reading assignments as well as researching & developing your final project. We will take advantage of the local museums available by taking class field trips to WCMA, The Clark Art Institute, and Mass MoCA.