2015 in Review via Instagram
/2015 was a crazy, fulfilling, and fruitful year. I never would have guessed that I would be ending the year where I am now, but looking back through my social media posts, it seems that this long string of events all rolled together into what has led me in my current direction. I thought it would be fun to summarize with one photo from Instagram for each month of the year that provides a good summary of where I was career-wise during that time period.
January
I kicked off 2015 in Dallas at Deloitte University, teaching hundreds of data scientists how to appropriately visualize data and create compelling stories to communicate their analysis. Deirdre Crowley was in my classroom recording the event, and it was the first time I was on the other side of graphic recording.
April
February
I took a bunch of trips to New York from January to March for a client project. On this day, I had been awake and working on autopilot for about two hours before I stepped outside of my hotel and realized I was in the Big Apple. It was a good reminder to be more present and appreciative of the life that I live.
May
March
In March I attended my first Tapestry Conference, where I heard amazing data storytellers like Hannah Fairfield share their secrets. I can't wait to go back in 2016! All of my sketches can be viewed on the Tapestry blog. This photo also reminds me that I went through three iPads in one year (upgraded to the iPad air 2 before knowing about the Pro).
June
April and May were absolutely nuts! Early on in the month, Fifty Three reached out to see if I would be interested in being featured in their Think Kit marketing video. This shoot was so special, and it was what really got me excited about building a brand and voice outside of my Deloitte identity.
July
As previously mentioned, I was all over the place this spring. Between traveling for work, family, and personal trips I came out on the other side with United gold status, an undying appreciation for business class flights, a mild case of exhaustion, and a new tattoo (hence the face I'm making in Amsterdam)!
August
Work hard, play hard! This isn't a career-related post, I was totally reinvigorated after this amazing 30th birthday year trip with my besties from college. We met in Phoenix, rented an RV and drove/hiked into the Grand Canyon and Sedona, and had s'mores every night under the stars-- can't beat that!
September
In July I attended the annual International Forum of Visual Practitioners Conference. What a fun experience! This photo is from Dan Roam's final keynote speech, which I graphically recorded (for the first time in front of an audience on a projector screen). This was another step in the direction of doing my own thing.
October
One of my most challenging professional experiences was developing and conducting a full-day analytics, data visualization, and design thinking training course that I had to deliver alone to over 60 people...in Brazil! It was a great success thanks to the help of others. I will never forget the feeling of relief when I got on the plane back to DC.
November
September 25th, 2015 marked my last day at Deloitte. A week before, I took a quick trip to NYC to film my first Skillshare class in partnership with Fifty Three. I was more comfortable in front of a camera this time, and had a great time coming up with the course materials. I hope to film another class next year!
December
In October I was invited to attend a preview event for the iPad pro in New York City. This was my second "work trip" after leaving Deloitte, and was full of contrasts. I took the cheapest train I could find, then hung out with T-Pain, then crashed on my friend Liz's couch. A new lifestyle, for sure!
My class launched on Skillshare in November, and I still love reading student questions, reviewing projects, and thinking about new ways to apply the class. Skillshare is a great company, resource, and tool for any inquisitive self-starters and I'm so happy to now be a part of it.
I got to take over FiftyThree's instagram account in early December. I wanted to showcase how I use the app, and posted a quick video of how I'm using Paper for presentations. I was prepping for a talk to the DC data community which was so fun and fabulous! A great way to wrap up my journey this year.