2020, and The Year Ahead :)

It's been an interesting year - and an interesting decade. I've lived all over the world, started companies, learned the basics of a handful of languages, published a book, jumped out of an airplane, lost my life-long dog, gotten married, and written and made so many things I lose track of them sometimes. :)

This past week, my partner and I did an expanded version of my yearly turn-off-the-power-and-remember-the-year thing where we talked through our memories, month-by-month of all of the last decade - and it took two full days.

But at this very moment, what's more on my mind is the year and the decade ahead. 2020 is going to bring some really exciting things to my life, to Ink and Feet, and maybe most relevantly, to you and everyone in this community. Behind the scenes I've been working on setting things up, and getting everything ready, and it's so fun to be able to tell you, today. Here's what's coming. :)

The Change Monsters.   Yep. Everyone's favorite adorable monsters that they've been hoping to get their hands on are opening up to a larger audience in 2020. I am beyond excited about this - it's been four years in the making, and it won't be a whole lot longer until you and everyone else gets to meet them. :)

Storytelling in Video.   I've started this with the This is Temporary series over at Youtube, but 2020 is going to have more stories, more countries, and more heart. We'll explore places, the passage of time, the details that make a culture what it is, and some stunning vistas, landscapes, and streets. :)

More Art.   Throughout my life, I've always made more than writing. I've done photography, sculpture, painting, digital art, woodworking, and spoken word - and in 2020 and beyond, I'm going to keep making those things - and sharing them with this community, too.

The Letters.   They're the heart and soul of what I do here, and I'll keep them coming. With all of the new stuff that's up ahead, you'll probably see some changes to how they look, and sometimes you'll need to click to read or see that week's letter. But make no mistake, they'll still be around. :)

Ink and Feet, full-time.   At this point, you might be wondering, "Steven, how are you going to find time to do all of this?" That is a great question - and the answer is what excites me the most.

My partner and I are going in on making Ink and Feet my full-time work.

Over the year, I'll grow it from a really well-loved but somewhat dehydrated collection of plants to a full, growing, blossoming garden that I can live off of. Things like the Change Monsters will be part of this, and I'll also want to hear from all of you on what you're interested in and would find useful. Are there other courses or books you'd like to see? Should we have a Patreon with monthly group chats? Ways for you to choose where I go next? A collection of delicious hot sauces? The future is wide open, and it is going to be extraordinary. :)

Gratitude and Listening.   I am so grateful and lucky to have you and everyone in this community, and in the year ahead, I'm going to find better ways to say thank you, let you know you're heard, and just share a little love back.

Thanks so much for being with me. The best is yet to come. :)

-Steven

p.s. The best thing I saw all week was this thought-provoking discussion of if (and how) Instagram is changing art.