I wish all of you the very best this new year has to offer: health, happiness, love, prosperity. 2015 was a difficult year for me and for many people I’ve spoken with. It was a year full of challenges and hard times. But that also means that it was a year full of GROWTH, and all of those lessons learned are going to serve us well!
Did you start the year off with some new resolutions? I wrote an article for the 24 Days of December project called, Hold Steadfast and Make Change. I think you’ll enjoy it.
As you may recall, I am officially on SABBATICAL this year. What does that mean? Well, I don’t know exactly what to expect from this time off, but besides not taking on new web design and development projects, I have a few things lined up.
#WCParis
I’m helping organize WordCamp Paris for the second year in a row, and it’s coming up fast (Feb 5-6)! It’ll be an extraordinary event: 32 conferences over 2 days on subjects as varied as Design and Typography, Marketing and Business, Javascript and WordPress APIs. There will be something for everyone!
Oh, and there will be an epic after-party.
You can find out more on the website, tell a friend/co-worker!
#FeelingRestful
Before WordCamp Paris I will be making a quick stop in London for A Day of REST, a one-day conference dedicated to the REST API, which was recently integrated into WordPress core. Yes, this is a full day of total geekery with an All-Star line-up, and I owe a huge thanks (and a few beers) to Yoast who sponsored my ticket. Thanks guys! <3
#wceu
Because I haven’t really figured out how to take time off yet, I’ve also joined the organizing team for WordCamp Europe, which will be held in Vienna, Austria, June 24-26. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there and getting to explore this beautiful city for the first time. The event has sold out, but we’re working to see if we can’t squeeze a few more into this increasingly popular WordCamp.
#travel
I hope to get out and about more this year, and not necessarily only around conferences. Other foreign travel destinations on my list are: the US (Chicago, Aspen, Austin, San Francisco, Eugene/Portland), Sweden and Germany. I’d also love to get out and do some exploring in France. There is still so much here I haven’t seen!
Where are you going to be this year? Email me or leave a comment and tell me about it!
#yoga
Last year I enrolled with the Université Occidentale de Yoga (not linking because their website makes me want to cry), and will be attending my second retreat in February. These week-long immersive excursions are held out in the forest of Brocéliande, where the legends of King Arthur were born. If all goes well, I will attend a total of 6-8 retreats over the next two years, working toward certification to teach. This is more for my personal benefit than a professional re-orientation…but who knows?
#writing
While I’m not busy organizing and attending conferences, or traveling to see friends and family, I will be doing more writing this year. Well, that’s the plan anyway!
The Newsletter
For some time now, I’ve kept a mailing list of clients, prospects and colleagues who I email from time to time with news and updates, but this is the first time I’ve opened up a newsletter to the general public. Mostly, I want to stay in touch with you more, and create new connections throughout the year. My hope is that this newsletter will help facilitate that.
I still don’t know what will be in it or how often it will go out, but it will be AWESOME. Sign up and tell a friend!
The blog(s)
I recently put my personal blog on the back burner and am stoking the fires here under jennybeaumont.com, which will become the central point for everything I enjoy writing about: WordPress, Business, Social Media, Design; and also Philosophy, Anecdotes and Personal Development.
I’ll also continue contributing to a selection of other sites when the topic and audience feel like a good fit. A few such recent contributions were:
- How WordCamp Paris Streamlined Speaker Submissions with the Idea Stream Plugin (wptavern.com)
- Hold steadfast and make change (24daysindecember.net)
- Growth in the French community (poststat.us)
- Retour d’expérience sur WPML et un WordPress multilingue (wpchannel.com in French)
The book(s)
Blogging will give me the practice I need to improve my writing skills and explore different topics, but really I want to write books. This has been nagging at me for a while now, and last year, after having some encouraging and inspiring conversations with people, I decided it was time.
I have a total of 6 book projects lined up so far, starting with one that will be auto-biographical in nature and that I hope will prove to be a fun and interesting read. The working title is Doing it Wrong, the Story of an Incidental Entrepreneur, and if I don’t do it wrong, it should be out by the end of the year. Ok, maybe early 2017. Stay tuned!
I would love to hear what you’re up to this year. Email me or leave a comment and tell me about it!