2022 Review

2022 was a mixed bag. A pick ’n’ mix of some terrible and terrific events. Being completely honest I’m glad to see the back of it but I’m happy to say I’m hopeful for 2023.

The forgettable bits

One of the many benefits of working at Clearleft is the gift of a 4-week sabbatical after 5 years of employment. I’d planned to take some proper R&R in August to take the edge of what has been a eventful few years.

Unfortunately things didn’t work out as planned. After returning home from visiting family in Devon I was incapacitated by a trapped nerve in my leg, likely piriformis syndrome. What was supposed to be 4 weeks of fun and frolics in some of the hottest weather recorded, I was bed-ridden with some of the worst pain I have ever experienced.

The timing couldn’t be worse. My wife and I had tickets to the End of the Road music festival which had to be sold along with any hope of seeing the Pixies live on stage. This wasn’t the only festival I missed.

A few months prior I was too unwell to join the bikepacking event in Dorset put on by Brother Cycles. This was my only multi-day cycling event panned in 2022.

What with a generally shitty firehose of world news and personal misfortune I was ready to put 2022 in the bin.

The seeds of hope

After I was well enough to return to work, Clearleft kindly gifted me and extra 2 weeks to make up for my failed sabbatical. This gave me the opportunity to do some much needed reflection, some proper rest and create some positive new habits.

I met Anaida Bademian, a talented digital designer who had recently moved to the UK from Ukraine in search of a role in the Brighton area. It was heartwarming to see the support of the local design community in welcoming her and helping her to connect with the right people. It looks like she’ll be working in Brighton from early next year.

The implosion of Twitter and embrace of the Fediverse and IndieWeb gives me hope for the future of the web. Writing weeknotes this year was an attempt to form a more frequent habit of writing. I’m now event more motivated to write, own my data, and publish it in the way I want. Thank you Elon… you prick!

There’s been changes at Clearleft that has me excited for 2023. UX London was back and provided a much-needed celebratory coming-together of the community and for us as an agency. We installed new meeting rooms at Clearleft HQ. We also start the new year with new team members. I’m excited to work with all of them but especially another researcher. Luke joined late last year and has already made a big impression on everyone.

So looking back, not such a bad one after all.