2015 A Year in Review

I hope that 2016 is as great as 2015 was for me!

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In 2015, I continued working with Lindsey at Pretty Darn Cute Design. Early in the year, we switched from offering support via email to a support forum; this has been a great move from a support perspective – it allows users to interact with each other, and to browse for answers to their questions.

In June, the Genesis Slack community organized a 24+ hour long “Genesis Camp“, where I gave a presentation on the various support models. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet more of the Genesis community.

September was a jam-packed month, starting with the Circles Conference, held in Grapevine, Texas, just down the road from where I live. I was unable to take advantage of all the sessions, because I couldn’t get time off work, having just returned from a two week vacation, but I did participate in the evening festivities, with the first night being a Genesis get-together – that was the highlight of the conference! I met Brian, Lauren and Rafal from Copyblogger/StudioPress, and so many other members of the Genesis community, and I caught up with some old friends, too!

The following weekend was WordCamp DFW. I attended as an honorary Genesis ambassador, and I felt like Santa Claus handing out the Genesis “swag”. I brought along my teenage son, who took some introductory WordPress sessions.

Also in September, I was invited to speak at the Blog Elevated conference also held in Grapevine. I spoke about choosing the right theme, and making it your own with a little customizing. I had such a fun time that I actually ran out of time! I see the potential for this being a workshop (much like the TADA workshop hosted by Lindsey in 2014).

One Happy Studio was “born” in September, when I retired “Graphically Designing”. It was a decision which was a long time in the making, and I think it will allow me greater opportunities for recognition in my own right.

In October, I released my first Genesis child theme, called Elise. I was thrilled with the feedback I’ve received from the community; it’s encouraged me to develop further themes, so I’m hoping to work on that this year. Elise is a “name your own price” theme, so you can get it for free here if you like. (Get Elise now)

I spent a few days in November visiting Lindsey in Maryland – I enjoy spending time with her, and I always leave feeling energized to move on to the next level in my business – thank you Lindsey for being such a fabulous mentor!

In December, I was interviewed for Nick Davis’ “GenesisWP Guide“. Thanks, Nick for inviting me to participate!

To wrap up the year, I am offering a giveaway on my blog – I’m giving away three copies of Pretty Darn Cute’s “Pretty Happy” theme, together with a 24 hour theme setup. The giveaway runs through until Sunday, January 3, so there is still time to enter. Head over here to get the scoop!

On the personal side, I returned to Australia for a two week trip this August to visit my parents and siblings. I travelled with my fifteen year old son. The highlight of the trip was a two day stay in Sydney at the Park Hyatt hotel, right on Sydney Harbour, overlooking the Sydney Opera House.

So what’s on the agenda for 2016?

I’m currently working on my next theme, a theme which I hope will appeal to school teachers; I’m also working on a photography theme, and a theme for fashion bloggers.

I’ll be working on more tutorials for my “Genesis4Beginners” series here on the blog, and I’ll still be offering support for Pretty Darn Cute Design, and will remain engaged in the StudioPress community forums.

I hope that 2016 is a happy, prosperous, and fun year for you!