Heya friendos! Join me today to celebrate the 1st anniversary of this newsletter! Lucky for me, because I didn’t know what to write at first. So instead of writing something fresh and new, we will look back on this past year’s worth of newsletters and do some gratitude exercises.

How Am I Doing?

I’m doing great again! This is definitely a new record for me of staving off seasonal depression. I had a few scattered days of low energy here and there, but overall I’ve been feeling really good. So, today, on the occasion of my newsletterversary, I want to do some gratitude exercises.

I’m extremely happy I’ve been able to keep this newsletter going every week, for an entire year. One of the things I’ve struggled with most in my creative process is discipline and consistency. I start projects every other week and drop them just as fast. Somehow, against all odds, I’ve been able to keep this thing going for a whole year.

What Am I Doing?

The Origin Story

Let’s take a look at the very first newsletter and see what it was able to predict. We never did end up coming up with a name or a handshake for our secret club, did we? I did get into the habit of writing these weekly and did not burn myself out doing so. Funnily enough, I talk about fiddling with the format, but I never ended up changing anything. It’s still the same How, What and Why am I doing these things and it’s still a mix of personal and project news.

Here’s an interesting quote to look back on:

I have a clear vision of what I want my daily life to be. I want to wake up without alarm, sit on the veranda with a mug of coffee, stare out into the garden, and think about what I want to do that day. I want to be able to chase my interests to my heart’s content.

I don’t have a veranda or garden yet, but I do wake up without alarm and have a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. I tend to prepare a to-do list for the next day beforehand, so I don’t necessarily think about what I want to do on the day itself. I do very much go with my gut feeling however, I can often gauge if I will be productive at work at the start of the day or not. Sometimes I just think to myself, “I’ll go for a walk and play video games today instead.”

Then, most importantly, I chase my interests to my heart’s content every single day. I’ve been more creatively fulfilled than ever, which confirms that this is the kind of life for me.

Numbers & Milestones

Another interesting milestone was the newsletter’s mensiversary. It is the first newsletter where I admit to not always feeling great. I think, in some way, it opened up the doors for me to be vulnerable in public. It transformed this newsletter from a business transaction to a personal diary that happens to be available on the Internet.

It also marked the launch of my first-ever video, the New to Narrative channel trailer. I talk about some numbers in that newsletter, so let’s compare them to today’s numbers!

• We went from 20 of you newsletter readers to 69, nice!
• From 30 YouTube subscribers to 880.
• From 25 people who hang out in the Discord, to 42.

That’s quite an uptick! I’m especially grateful for all the folks who reach out about how my content has been able to help them out in some way. Feeling useful is incredibly validating. Then, in terms of content, I have:

• Published 5 blog posts about narrative design.
• Launched 8 YouTube videos total.
• Sent 51 newsletters.

Wait, 51? But there are 52 weeks in a year! Yes, that’s right, I skipped one week as part of RoboDaan’s narrative arc. I wonder if he’ll ever make a comeback…

Why Am I Doing? (this)

I would’ve never guessed this newsletter would be the most consistent, persistent, and long-lasting creative venture I’ve had. The reasons I’m keeping at it are numerous. It’s great to have a logbook to look back at, both for practical purposes and for observing my feelings at that time. It serves as a platform to keep people up to date with what I’m up to. It forces me to ruminate on my week for at least an hour, if not more. It flexes my writing muscles too, so they don’t get rusty.

Enough reason to keep it going. I’m happy that this weekly exercise snuck its way into my life. Here’s to another year!