Happy holidays, everyone!

It feels like we were just harvesting the summer veggies, and now we are bundling up by the fireplace. Are you embracing winter, or are you hibernating until spring?

We thought it would be fun to have a litle looksy back on the year…

12 Days of Creativity, Compassion, and Collaboration

1. On the first day of Germinate, my true client gave to me… gratitude and wishes for thee. We learned so much from being around you — friends, colleagues, clients, and collaborators — thank you!
2. Twice yearly charitable donations. We were incredibly fortunate this year to give back as part of my birthday gift and to the Digital Marketing Scholarship.  
3. Favorite moments of 2024: The NTEN24 Conference, meeting clients IRL at ComNet, and reconnecting with a pal I previously worked with at Suffolk University who now happens to work at my alma mater, MassArt!
4. Professional milestones. Not only did I attend ComNet for the first time ever this year, but I also had the opportunity to present during the conference’s Poster Showcase—a unique experience where I got to share my research on and experience with inclusive stock photography.
5. Local community. I’ve had the joy of being in community with ComNetPDX, the Locals chapter of Communications network. Meeting new folks at our quarterly happy hours is always a blast. Join us in January!
6. AI tools. Not a hallmark of our work currently, but we have learned a lot about how it can be used for good. Perplexity has helped us bounce marketing ideas around a couple of times, and we are definitely intrigued by the generative AI capabilities of Adobe Firefly.  
7. Big lesson learned: Longer projects give us more opportunity to collaborate and produce solid work. Case in point: check out our project with Sullivan Training Network below.
8. Favorite projects! This year, we proudly developed the Sullivan Training Network, collaborating with various groups to create a brand identity, collateral, and a new website, alongside the launch of STEMLinx. I also had the exhilarating experience of presenting my inclusive photography work at the 2024 ComNet Poster Showcase with the poster titled “Un-stock your photography. Celebrate everyone.” Additionally, we redesigned the website for Lloyd EcoDistrict, a Portland nonprofit, enhancing its organization, aesthetics, and user experience to better serve the community.
9. Our lovely team of collaborators who make working together more enjoyable, including: Tara Garrigan of TMG Creative; Sheila Hart-O’Connor of Writer at Hart, Deidre Rienzo of Connect with Copy; content strategist Ed Harris; Jessica Berardi of Pilgrim Design; Molly Holland of Artemis Design; Amy Weiher of Weiher Creative; art director Christina Slick; and Week of the Website.
10. Our monthly newsletterswhere we have the opportunity to share our latest projects, fun events we’re attending, news about our fave clients, and funky factoids and findings.
11. Looking forward to 2025 happenings, like presenting at NTC25 (join me in Baltimore!), new branding projects for clients, diving deep into research around inclusive and accessible illustrations and data graphics (know of any courses? Email me!), and prioritizing my health and well-being (gotta work on that bone density! Thanks hormones!).
12. Twelve full and productive months all the way through 2024. Again, thank you to all of our clients and collaborators for making it happen!