“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
As 2014 comes to a close, I reflect upon this past year as a freelancer. Really, 2014 was my first year as a paid freelancer in the game industry and this blog began in December, so this is a reflection on my full career at this point from my volunteer beginnings in 2013. What an amazing year full of wonderful people, experiences and projects. What really stands out to me as I look back is…
- Thankfulness
- Growth
- Community
- Excitement
I am so Thankful for all the opportunities I have been blessed to have. So many great projects and wonderful publishers to work with. I must take this moment to offer special thanks to Chris Birch and Lynne Hardy of Modiphius who have offered me such trust and opportunity through the Achtung! Cthulhu and Mutant: Year Zero lines in 2014. I really feel a part of their creative team, and I look forward to future projects with them. Every publisher I have worked with has been so thoughtful and caring, mentoring me as I developed my skills as a freelance editor and proofreader.
My personal Growth this year is a direct result of this mentoring along with the experience of each project. Projects strengthened my editing and proofreading skills, my grammar and linguistics, and my professional communication. Publishers trained me in their preferred communications and documentation for projects, which helped me develop effective work habits. Along with that, I found more personal growth. I learned to be more honest and transparent about my capabilities and my availability. But what I feel will have the greatest impact on my life is a much deeper understanding and compassion for the writers, developers, editors, and publishers.
I have met, worked with, and developed friendships with some amazing people in the game industry this year. To be member of this Community is such a blessing. From the publishers to the fans, I am so thankful for the freelance opportunities, the professional mentoring, the passionate discussions, and the personal challenges. I want to continue to help grow and strengthen this community. This blog is one of the ways I am giving back to this wonderful community.
As you can tell, I am very excited as I look back upon 2014. My Excitement grows with each new game industry relationship and freelance project. As I look toward 2015 and the opportunities ahead, I am even more excited. Next post, I will ponder my resolutions as a freelancer in 2015.
An overview of my freelance work in 2014 includes…
Publishers I worked with 2014
- Battlefield Press
- Chronicle City
- GreenBrier Games
- Mindjammer Press
- Modiphius
- subQuark
Projects published in 2014
- Achtung! Cthulhu – Fate Guide to the Secret War
- Achtung! Cthulhu – Guide to the Eastern Front
- Achtung! Cthulhu – Guide to North Africa
- Achtung! Cthulhu – Guide to the Pacific Front
- Achtung! Cthulhu – Heroes of the Sea – Revised Edition
- Achtung! Cthulhu – Heroes of the Sea PDQ
- Achtung! Cthulhu – Interface Zero 19.40 (KS Backers Only)
- Achtung! Cthulhu – Kontamination
- Eldritch Skies – Savage Worlds Edition
- Interface Zero 2.0
- Mindjammer
- Mutant: Year Zero
[si-contact-form form=’1′]
I can’t say enough about T.R.’s insight and truly thoughtful advice this year.
T.R. listens, understands, and provides a genuine, heartfelt, and invaluable perspective that has impacted my design flow. He’s also great at keeping me on track which is a challenge because I go off on tangents like crazy.
I look forward to even more collaboration in 2015 and this will be quite a year for us all!
Thanks T.R. and a very happy New Year to you and your beautiful family – and thanks for being a real force in my work! =)
David,
Thanks for your heartfelt and humbling words. It was a great getting to know you this year and watch as your Kickstarter succeeded so well. From that time, we have had some great conversations and gotten to know each other much better. I am blessed to call you friend and look forward to working with you more in the coming year. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Sounds like a busy first year! It’s awesome to have something you really enjoy doing like this. Best of luck to you in the new year!
Thanks for the encouragement. It was a very exciting first year. I am definitely looking forward to 2015.