35 Things That Made My 2024
Inspired by Austin Kleon's lists of things that made his year (here's his entry for 2023.)
- Making my first zines in years (and having the courage to share them with the world!)
- Going to my first zine fair, meeting like-hearted folks, and trading my zines.
- Having my zines distributed by Sticky Institute in Melbourne and G:Zines in Geelong in Australia. Also having my zines selected for inclusion in the State Library Victoria catalog!
- Watching this talk by Cabel Sasser from the 2024 XOXO conference. So moving, but the quote "Send the nice email, now. While people can still hear you." especially resonated with me. So I've done just that, and plan to do many more in 2025. It's so rewarding!
- And, of course, watching the rest of the fantastic talks from that conference.
- Being published in a local youth magazine's annual issue for the second year in a row.
- Being featured in Issue 316 of one of my favorite newsletters, Dense Discovery.
- Improving my baking skills and having far fewer mishaps than my attempts last year.
- Spending many a walk at a billabong, and watching it change through the seasons.
- Frequenting the local art gallery as the exhibitions came and went.
- Watching (and photographing) the many gorgeous sunsets of semi-arid Australia.
- Starting to curate and post my art on my site.
- Making pin buttons for the first time (with my own artwork) thanks to the lovely volunteers and the machines at Sticky Institute.
- Having perhaps the best mango sticky rice I've ever tasted.
- Attending the online 'Channel As Gift' workshop hosted by Laurel Schwulst.
- Discovering Are.na and all its creative potential.
- Wandering the quiet corners of the web and discovering idiosyncratic delights.
- Attending live performances with family, whether that be orchestral arrangements, youth talent shows, or amateur theatre productions.
- Volunteering backstage for two performances after not having done so for a few years.
- Helping at a local food co-op a few times.
- Reading so many good books.
- Attending the Mildura Writers Festival for the first time.
- Virtually attending the Emerging Writers Festival and the inaugural Liminal Festival.
- Learning about erasure poetry at an online workshop.
- Discovering The 1975's discography.
- Finding more new artists to listen to: Alisa Xayalith, Explo, Her's, Knox, Mark Ambor, Omar Apollo, Tyler Lyle, UFO UFO, Vacations, and Wave Racer.
- Having plants indoors (and watching them grow.)
- Learning to bake more successfully than last year.
- Starting to draw again (finally!)
- Re-learning how to use Krita.
- Discovering it's possible to make zines digitally.
- Falling in love with the internet (again.)
- Attending an online author talk with the writer Liane Moriaty.
- Interacting with the lovely folks who have personal websites.
- And of course, making my own website. It's been so much fun. I wish I'd started sooner.
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