It’s Almost 2020! Emilie’s Reflections and Goals for the Coming Year

Hi my multipotentialite pals!

2020 is nearly upon us. And, as is customary here on Puttylike, I’ve gone ahead and sketched out some goals and priorities for the new year. I’ll share those with you in a moment…

But first, let’s talk 2019.

2019 was an emotional year for me, with significant highs and lows. Here are a few things that really stand out:

Everything Conference

In September, we hosted our first-ever multipotentialite conference in Portland, Oregon. 100 multipods came together from as far away as Japan and New Zealand (and all over North America) to learn, connect, and collaborate with one another. I heard from many of our participants that ETC was nothing short of life-changing. It was a magical experience for me, too. Hugely affirming and so inspiring.

We’re planning on having the next Everything Conference in mid-2021. Head over here to get on the waitlist and stay up to date on all the news.

Queerdos

I wrote a TV pilot script! Over the course of the year, I got a TON of feedback and revised the script quite a few times. Criticism can really hurt, but I think I did a decent job of using it in a constructive way. I pitched the show, learned a thing or two about the television industry, made some connections, and was selected as a finalist in two screenwriting competitions.

Queerdos is the project I care most deeply about at the moment. It’s a coming-of-age series about queer teenagers, and it feels like a show that could really make a positive impact in young people’s lives. It’s definitely a show that could have changed my experience as a teen. I don’t believe in the “one true calling,” but right now I feel called to this work like nothing else.

My Dad + Cleveland

The most significant thing that happened in my life in 2019 was that my dad got sick. He was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma this past June. Getting that news was a total reality check about what’s important to me. Valerie and I decided to move to Cleveland, Ohio for a few months–we definitely wanted to be around to help out, but I also really wanted to spend some quality time with my dad. I even interviewed him about his multipotentialite life! That will be out on Puttylike some time in the new year.

Valerie, Grendel, Gorse and I are still in Cleveland as I write this, though we’re leaving in just over a week. Although moving from our peaceful remote Canadian island to a midwestern American city was a huge shift, it was absolutely the right thing. Getting to hang out, talk, and drink lots of coffee with my dad was the best and I’m so grateful for my flexible, portable life.

The latest news is that my dad is officially in remission. He still has a few rounds of chemo left, but they didn’t find any cancer cells on his last scan. Wonderful news!

2020 Goals & Directions

So, what’s to come? Here are the main things I’d like to focus on over the next twelve months:

1. Launch Puttylike 2.0 and grow the Puttylike community

I am quietly, behind-the-scenes, conferring with my wonderful programmer to get the new Puttylike design ready for your eyes! Actually, we’ve been working on it for months now.

The new website is beautiful. I’m pretty much in love with it. 🙂

We hope to launch the new site in Spring 2020. And then I will be focusing on getting the Puttylike message out to new readers. Puttylike 2.0 will be a “magazine style” website–simple to navigate, with articles that are easy on the eyes. I will always have love in my heart for our old (current) design. I cobbled it together in 2010, and it has served us well, but it’s time to level up!

I hope you love the changes that are coming. And, if they’re unsettling at first, I think they’ll grow on you. Ultimately, this is something we need to keep Puttylike feeling relevant in the years to come and to grow into our full potential.

Also, Puttylike will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary on September 27, 2020. That is absolutely bonkers! I have to come up with some kind of magnificent way for us to all celebrate together!!! Let me know if you have any ideas?

2. Keep pitching Queerdos

Obviously, Queerdos is on my list. I will continue pitching, networking and doing everything I can to get my little teen drama sold and produced. If none of that works, I might even decide to produce it independently. We shall see!

3. Become more resilient + self-sufficient

This is a pretty personal goal. No one knows how bad the climate crisis will get (or how it will play out), but it’s important to me to be more self-sufficient and more tightly integrated within my local community.

Last summer, a friend created a huge fenced garden on our property. In summer 2020, it will be up to me and Valerie to grow our vegetables. Growing food will be a new skill for us, and it’s one that I’m eager to learn. Nothing like eating sun-warmed veggies fresh from the yard. I also want to learn some first aid and continue to grow my general rural life skills.

Relatedly, I’m feeling pulled to consume less and to order fewer things online. For instance, I LOVE Christmas, but this year more than ever, I’ve been feeling very conscious of and a little guilty about the consumerism that is so entwined with the holiday season. Environmentally, spiritually… It just doesn’t feel good to buy things right now. I feel these shifts starting to happen within me, and I welcome them…even when they feel difficult and weird.

4. Center relationships

Finally, I’m going to be prioritizing relationships in 2020. Not all relationships, just the ones that matter most to me—my family (biological and chosen), online friends, and neighbours. I would like to spend more time with people I love. I want to fight that force inside that sometimes tells me I’m wasting time when I’m relaxing, hanging out with friends, or otherwise being “unproductive.” Fuck that voice! It doesn’t come from a healthy place.

So, there you have it: a rough overview of my priorities and directions in 2020.

I’m so ready to get home, nestle in, and focus on what matters.

Here’s to another year of mutual support, kindness and collaboration with the greatest community I’ve ever known: you all. 

Happy new year, multipotentialites!

xo Emilie

p.s. Want to follow along as I cross the country in the coming weeks? Follow the Puttylike Instagram. I’ll be posting photos and stories as I travel west.

Your Turn

What are your goals, hopes, dreams, and areas of focus for the coming year? Please share with me and the community in the comments below.