Hello Two Thousand and Twelve!

xheight is back and this year I’ll make sure it will be better than ever! Funny how often we make resolutions. It’s either that, or quip about how arbitrary a “date” really is. A condescending laugh at those who endeavour, or an unwitting admittance of no ambition, I wonder?

For me at least, January does feel special. I don’t care what anyone else thinks! This year will be my best yet. I have no plans, no targets, no deadlines — only the one vague ambition to out perform previous efforts. To be honest I don’t think it’ll be much of a challenge! Every month I feel proud of what I’ve achieved and yet I often look back and say “man, I wish I was as good then as I am now”. Am I too hard on myself?

Sometimes I feel king of the world! Other times I feel wasted. It seems to relate directly to recent events. If I’ve done something productive I want to keep that ball rolling. If I’ve been lazy (even on a well deserved break) I feel like I’ve fallen behind life’s schedule. So it would seem my answer is to never stay still and avoid complacency. Difficult for a guy who enjoys nothing more than being mindlessly sprawled across furniture. But then I’ve never done anything the easy way.

The arrival of a new year is a great time for reflection regardless of whether it’s ever corresponded to events in your life. We generally subscribe to the calendar so that we can pinpoint moments, milestones, times of thought, and the beginnings of resolutions. Why not take on a fresh perspective alongside everyone else? I rarely start the year with a specific plan but I always endeavour to achieve more and that has always worked out just fine. Changes and achievements happen through an ambitious determination even when ideas are not immediately apparent. I just make note of them on memorable occasions like this. I don’t set out for glory and don’t see myself as anything special, I simply expect more from myself every year. Confirming to myself that I will overcome the challenges that arise and excel at whatever takes my interest is enough of a resolution for me.

As a designer I think this mindset is particularly important. Much of my talent and ability comes from experience and experimentation. They deliver serendipity and I can’t go looking for that, but I can progress forward and stumble into it.

I have no idea how xheight came into being but it happened early last year! I’m eternally grateful to all those authors who joined me along the way and I look forward to meeting newcomers too. They make this blog a pleasure to host. Next week we have an article by 2011 .net award winning designer Janna Hagan — make sure to subscribe!

Now, what’s your resolution? And don’t say 1440×900 :)