Here we go again. A post to try and summarize the year that was and, man oh man, 2020 was quite possibly the strangest of them all.

In mid-February I announced I was stepping down as Coordinator of Seneca’s Animation program after 14 years and would be starting an 18 month sabbatical from teaching in April so Stacy and I could travel to more international conventions and take advantage of big creative projects I had underway. Two weeks later, the pandemic started to take hold on this side of the world and all our big plans for the year began to unravel. Within a month it was clear 2020 wouldn’t be anything like what we planned.

But, we persevered.

I cancelled my teaching break (but still stepped down from being in charge of the program) and went online to deliver lectures. The students managed to keep up with the shift and have done well despite it all. A bunch of writing projects stalled out or crumbled, but other unexpected ones stepped in to pick up the slack. I started my run as the writer of Conan the Barbarian and, even with delays, it’s been a dream to work on. I ran my first Kickstarter campaign for a hybrid comic-RPG project and it did really well. Star Wars, Stranger Things, and more D&D. The entertainment industry shuddered (and, in some cases, shuttered), but we’re still here doing our thing.

Stacy and I tried to use the extra time at home to spruce up our place a bit, expand our cooking skills, and be more mindful of time while doing our best to stay safe. I did a bunch of tabletop gaming via Zoom and played online video games with my brother. Even with all the chaos, we know we have a lot to be grateful for. The bonds between friends and family have been physically distant but emotionally resonant.

Touch wood, so far we haven’t had any Covid-related emergencies in our family and, at the end of the day, that’s more important than any creative or travel setbacks. We’re healthy on the whole and weathering it all far better than most.

The broad brushstrokes of the world were dark but little moments gleamed and that’s what we try to stay focused on.

Winter 2021 looks like it’s going to be rough, but somewhere past that will be better days and we’ll be that much more thankful for the time we spend and places we go.

Lots of love to all of you as we close out the year. Be good to each other and keep fighting.

Jim