2016 is almost over.
Finally...
Lets face it, 2016 was gruesome, but it wasn't all bad. I wanted to reflect on things that were good about 2016 and ponder some goals for 2017.
Looking back
It’s been a long year. But my 2016 was probably shorter than yours. I celebrated the start of 2016 in California. I’ll welcome the end of 2016 in South Carolina. Which means that my 2016 was three hours shorter that someone that started and ended the year in the same time zone.
Cubs Win! As a die hard Cubs fan, I can’t talk about 2016 without mentioning that the Cubs won the World Series for the first time since 1908. I enjoyed watching my Cubs play baseball into November and win Game 7 in heart stopping fashion. I've seriously been waiting my whole life for this. Completely amazing.
I actually wrote a bunch of stuff I liked. I posted about 100 articles this year. Some of my favorites:
- The Atlanta Pen Show and Pen Addict 200. I trekked down to Atlanta for the Pen Show and to see Myke, Brad and Anya record Pen Addict 200 in front of a live audience. I really enjoyed the experience and hope to go again next year.
- ASAP: The Lowest Priority. I started writing this post on priority several years ago, but I was never completely happy with it. I restructured the post and changed the tone. Thrilled with how it turned out.
- My Most Influential Classes. The classes that stick with you years later aren’t always what you expect.
- Twitterless. What would happen if Twitter disappeared tomorrow? My thoughts on what it would take to replace Twitter's key functions.
- Is it unusual that Columbia doesn’t have an Apple Store? I’m proud of this post over on my other blog, In Store Columbia. I looked at data to determine whether similarly sized cities have Apple Stores. I want to write more posts like this in 2017.
Back in class. This spring, I took a graduate school class on The History of Modern Architecture. We studied campus architecture, and wrote architectural histories on sections of the University of South Carolina. I never thought I’d know so much about the pedestrian bridge on the south side of the USC campus. Sketchbook B is hosting the final class project, if you want to learn about a part of campus that will soon be completely reimagined.
Looking ahead to 2017
I’ve got lots of plans for 2017. After all, the 2017 Pantone Color of the Year is pretty much Sketchbook B green. So it’s got to be my year, right?
- Get healthy. I know that is everyone’s goal is to get healthy and lose weight, but yeah, that’s my goal too.
- Longer blog posts. So coming into 2016, I was focused on posting more. By late 2016, I realized that was a mistake. So for 2017, I want to write longer, more thoughtful pieces. I’ll still try to post weekly at In Store Columbia, but here on the mothership, I’m looking for one, solid post each week.
- Publish new typefaces. I have a couple of ideas for new typeface designs. I hope to release at least two new designs in 2017.
- Start a podcast. I love podcasts, and I want to create one of my own. I’ve got a couple of ideas and I’ve been working on my audio editing. It’s going to happen in 2017.
So I’m looking forward to the coming year. I’m genuinely excited about the promise that 2017 holds. (And equally excited for 2016 to be in the rear view mirror.) Can’t wait to jump in.
Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, creative director, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. In his spare time, he anxiously awaits the end of 2016. Follow Bob on Twitter and Instagram.
