New Year

Every year around this time, I feel that funny pressure to write a post about resolutions, or a mantra for the year.  That funny pressure to contextualize in these one-year increments when the truth is, so much in life (and in design!) happens over a longer stretch.  I'm old enough now to see longer-term trends in my own life, and to know that I have often worked in 5-year cycles.  5 years in each of my Brooklyn homes.  5 years in each of my previous careers.

I know I'm not alone in saying that 2016 wasn't the best for me.  But interestingly, it was the year I passed the 5 year mark, both in my current home and in my current career.  I think the 5 year mark has in the past been when I get bored, or when it feels like the learning curve (which I LOVE) is over, and the rest is just a slog.  I think 2016 was the year I got through all that.  I'm excited, not bored, by the idea of moving from learning curve to mastery in my work.  I'm content, not bored, by the idea of fine tuning and tweaking my home, not building it up from scratch.  (Hmmmm....does it kind of sound like I am growing up?)

This year, in the spirit of commitment to this career, continued professionalizing, and moving towards mastery, I am looking forward to formalizing and finalizing a lot of things that have been sort of crawling along slowly for a long time.  (not even a hands and knee crawl; a lot of it feels like an army crawl, all elbows dragging through the mud.)

Some of these things include:
- Moving my business out of my home and into an office (in process!)
- Finalizing my graphic identity (almost done!)
- Finishing my website (press page, I'm looking at you!)
- Starting the process to join ASID
- Building a HOUZZ profile
- Moving to a proper accounting system
- Hiring an intern
- Weekly blog posts!  (What?  Yes!)

On the project front, long term projects coming to fruition early this year:
- Noe Valley (San Francisco) 4000sf gut remodel.  It's beyond.
- My parent's basement!  Bright turquoise mohair, zebra print, chiang mai dragon.  So fun.
- The upstairs for this house (in addition to the basement we've done the entry, living room and a kitchen/dining refresh), so I can finally share it all.
- This living room and sunroom
- a major kitchen reno
- a pair of vintage/ Craftsman inspired bathrooms

I think I might have just talked myself into a GREAT year.

What about you?