2014: wak e up, nemo.

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Given the rate at which pages tumble off the calendar and days bleed into one another, I have grown accustomed to Januarys looking eerily similar to Decembers, despite the twelve months of living in between.

But I now realize it is at the exact moment you get a bit too comfy with the path you’re on, like a dog circling around before a nap, that life has a tendency to show up with a lit match and say, “Hey, you sure about that?”

That being said, let’s summarize this year with a giant delta symbol:

Δ

And while I certainly won’t be shouting my love of 2014 from a mountaintop anytime soon, not all Δ is ☹. Actually, there were many times this year that warranted a ☑ and even a ☺or two.

I wrote for a few folks (even had a stint as a writer-in-residence), curated some shows, joined a board, placed art in loving homes, spoke quasi-eloquently in public, and most importantly, I discovered the magic of avocado toast.

..honestly, where have you been all my life?

Each of these experiences taught me a bit more about who I am, who I want to be, and who I want to be there with me.

I also learned a great deal about patience, resilience, and the importance of never giving up on a good idea.

Look at me, bein’ all adult-like.

As far as FLUX., I hope I haven’t let you down in my role as a digital doyenne. Creating content has been difficult this year as I navigated offline waters and lent my writing skills to less sexy pursuits such as grant writing, statements, and proposals. But this grunt work has been a necessary evil–it brings me closer to implementing projects I believe in, ones that will hopefully have a lasting impact on our community.

And that idea of “impact” is a new one for me to evaluate, because in many ways it extends the role of the curator outside a gallery’s walls. You can feel a deeper commitment and richer connection to the city you call home and it’s empowering to think you can create something that will live on long after you’re dead.

I imagine this must be how artists feel.

2014 was a tremendous year of growth and I couldn’t have gone it alone. They say no man is an island, but that doesn’t mean we can’t meet on one. Or two. Soon.

cue foreshadowing.

/foreshadowing

And before I go, since Thanksgiving on FLUX. didn’t even see so much as a hand turkey this year, I’d like to take a quick moment to give thanks:

THANK YOU, to my mentors who have become my biggest inspirations and friends

THANK YOU, avocado toast

THANK YOU, to the artists who have allowed, and continue to allow, me to be a part of their personal and professional lives and caretakers of their work

THANK YOU, to the organizations, institutions, and agencies that have not only humored me, but welcomed me into their families

THANK YOU, to the early naysayers who gave me an audience to prove wrong

THANK YOU, to the folks who never needed convincing, and have believed in me, unwaveringly, from the very beginning