As I think back on this past year — my first since deciding to plunge into providing marketing advisory services, I realize I was shown a whole lotta love. I have enormous gratitude to many who have helped me along the way.
I had several goals this year — but a big part of my year was spent using my interest in photography as a platform for learning how new media technologies and practices really work — for purposes of extrapolating how they might be useful in the B2B marketing environment.
My love is deep for the following ten influencers on my first year’s success:
10) My last employer — for liberating me. I have been energized in a way I had almost forgotten I could be. My creativity is reborn.
9) David Scott, for persuading me that just getting the e-book written and published would be worth it, and his advice on “stepping away” from the corporate cushion.
Ken Schwarz, for introducing me to the first online community that would actually capture my imagination: Flickr.
7) visualRepublique, who gave Elastic Brands an identity.
6) Wordpress and Chris Pearson for making the process of producing a really great looking blog easy.
5) The Flickr community, for encouraging me to publish, to learn, and to grow as a photographer.
4) Facebook, for bringing old friends and colleagues back in contact. One in particular reached out to reestablish contact because of links to my photos on Flickr; that led her to my blog and my e-book, and to recommend me to a CEO who would hire me for my first consulting engagement — which is still ongoing a year later.
3) Arizona State University and the SkySong Centre. They were looking for images of Arizona-native technology innovation, and selected one of my photos of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West to hang in that building for the next five years.
2) My boys, Sam and Ian, to whom I hope to serve as a model and principally for whom I continue to work and listen and learn.
1) My Julie, who is a strategic partner in everything interesting I have tried to accomplish — both before leaving the corporate world and since.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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