My year in review starts with kicking New Year’s of in Paris France! What an incredible way to kick off a year of exploration and education.
This is the year I went back to school to finish my Anthropology degree. Go Panthers! There was more travel, a lot more. Mostly in support of my Irish Dancing daughter. We traveled from Paris to Vancouver and many places in-between. And as busy as all those competitions can be, we always make time to visit at least one culturally significant location.
This was also the year of leaning into storytelling and helping people share their legacy. Digging into the story is always my favorite part. Seeing it from all the angles and finding the best way to tell it brings me all the emotions. This year I got to see a piece I’m so proud to have worked on, launch to rave reviews and millions of views.
It’s been a great year! Would love for you to share some of your highlights from 2019 in the comments below. If you’re interested in some of my favorites, please keep reading.
Oh The Places We’ll Go!
I visited at least 22 places, on 2 continents, and crossed 1 major bucket list locations off my list.
My favorite adventure in 2019 was seeing Chartres Cathedral. I’ve studied the cathedral’s 800 year old stained glass windows from books and websites for years. So I was beyond moved to spend a little time inside this amazing structure. I’m not Catholic, or particularly religious, but I love medieval art and architecture. Seeing the cathedral in person lived up to all and every expectation.
My daughter and I spent a great day exploring New York City after one of her Irish Dance Competitions. We stumbled upon a custom makeup shop, where she got to create her own lipgloss color. She was able to play with the shade, adding and subtracting tones based on a base color she and the designer came up with. We love hands on experiences and this was a fun, out of the box, activity.
Another highlight was stopping in Paris (again) on our way to Florence, Italy. My daughter and I knew we had to eat dinner at Les Antiquaries (this was our home away from home during the month of December) and the staff remembered us, spoke to us by name, and welcomed us back with hugs! It was such a wonderful moment for us. Plus we had met up with dance friends from our school back in Atlanta and shared the experience with them. Paris is always a good idea!
Florence of course was amazing – I checked out a lot more medieval architecture. But my highlight was the Antinori family winery we explored. I became obsessed and the levels of legacy their story inspires. I wrote about it a few months ago. Please visit them if you ever find yourself in Firenze.
So blessed with a year in review that is full of so much travel. But that is not all I did. 🙂
Back to School
I had been toying with the idea of going back to school to finish my Anthropology degree for years. Not having it was one of those dragons that I just couldn’t stop thinking about. No matter many how many times I wrote it down and burned the paper, I couldn’t let it go. So… I just decided to take it on.
It wasn’t easy coming back to school. I definitely approach it differently that I did 22 years ago. A highlight has been experiencing the joy I get from learning new things and being truly engaged with this material. I wasn’t expecting that and it’s been fun to expand on my papers and projects to look for ways to develop stories I can share with y’all. Plus (and I’m totally bragging here) I ended the year with straight A’s.
Favorite work
Another bucket list adventure for me in 2019 was SUPER BOWL! Not just attending (omg that was a boring game) but I worked it. And spent the entire four hours on the sidelines. I basically watched the game from the Patriot’s ends zone. Even made an appearance on the James Corben Late Late Show. HaHa
Work from 2018 launched in 2019, I’m so proud of these pieces. They launched my daughter’s birthday and I love the message they share. But the experience of producing them was practically life changing. After principle photography wrapped, my family and I left for five weeks in Paris. Being there with them, and taking our time together took on a new meaning. It was beyond wonderful! We may not be able to do that every year, but taking an extended “rest” together was definitely a great way to end 2018, and it set the tone for an amazing 2019.
Looking Forward to the Next Year in Review
Looking back, I’m rather inspired. I didn’t really think about all the places I was able to explore last year, or how far I had come in school. And I’m excited for 2020. Stories are in the works that I can’t wait to share with y’all. I’m still guiding people through the stories they want to tell. And I’m still freelancing with production companies to find the best stories to support the missions of their clients.
I have another year of school. Maybe more if I push through to complete my masters.
Story finding is about being curious. If you’re looking to tell a story and you’re not sure where to start, I can help. I won’t write your story, but if you need a guide to ask you questions to build the framework to anchor and align you story, please reach out.
If you’re not sure if or how I can help. Contact me. I’d love to have a quick 30 minute discovery call to hear what you’re up to.
Let’s start talking,
Tami Lynn