Behind the Scenes: The Year that was 2017

2017 started with a list of goals that all pointed in one direction: "I successfully launch my business and cultivate a vibrant community."

It's been a rollercoaster ride of a year and when I sit and reflect on the past year, events feel like a lifetime ago. It was hard to write this blog post, as I’ve just felt spent this past month feeling like I hadn’t made enough progress as I wanted to and truthfully, just a little directionless.

But as I was going back through my old journals, I stumbled upon this line: “I am a quarter into the year and I feel like it’s been hugely successful.” It’s so easy for me to forget how far I've come, even in recent years, let alone the same one.

I do feel like this year’s been a success on many accounts. Not because of awards, career moves or financial factors. It’s been a success for how far I was able to push myself personally and professionally. Looking back, it's been the small leaps and bounds that have created space for a bigger life. Here's this year's top 4:

1. I left my Job
In May of last year, I decided to leave my job at lululemon and take the plunge into re-starting my own business. It has been such an incredible adventure thus far and it would not have been possible without so many people supporting me behind the scenes.

The guise of the internet doesn't show the many hard days peppered throughout the process, nor can it ever give enough credit to the collaborators and contributors who make the films and videos what they are.

2. I left social media
In the last 4 months, I made the rather impulsive decision to leave social media. My intention with leaving was to be more present and connected to the world & people around me. I still struggle with maintaining focus in this noisy world, but I’ve learned lots about myself in this process.

The next year will be an interesting time to see how I can integrate social media in a healthier way that works for me.

3. I fell in love with filmmaking in a new way
The process of creating The Lion with Francis has been a huge lesson for me in 2017. In the process of trusting my gut, I truly learned about the impact and importance of the personal project. I re-discovered the childlike parts of filmmaking without expectation. There was no intention of winning awards or even screening at festivals, we just wanted to tell a moving story.

I surprised myself with its reception and impact on the people who watched it. It was humbling watching something I created in the theatres for the first time. I have so much gratitude towards Francis and the crew for making it such a great project to work on and share.

If you’re in Vancouver, come watch it at the 2018 Vancouver Short Film Festival on Jan 27.

4. This blog
Thank you all, for following along my journey this past year. I set out a goal to write 24 blog posts this year and am well over that by now.

Whether it was writing about the realization of staying small, celebrating a new career move, or following my new experiments in creative-cross training, it has been such a fun experience writing (almost) every week. I love receiving your messages, comments and emails and hearing about what’s going on in your lives and creative journey.

Thank you for following along this year. I hope 2018 will bring forwards a whole new set of writing that will be relatable, valuable and challenging to you.