12 Months, 12 Things

This was a post I was suppose to write on January First. However I got busy and well forgot for some of the month, so here we are February First.

This year I am taking the year off university, and in the bigger picture taking the year off being in an education system. I have been in school for the past 17 years of my life, and I was heading for even more. Last year I finished my first Bachelor’s Degree (in Mathematical Sciences) and I have a year (or maybe a semester, I haven’t been motivated enough to check) left of my second Bachelor’s Degree (in Physics). I was originally destined for an honours year in physics, but instead turned that honours year into a second degree.

I have always been an academic (I won Dux in Specialist Mathematics and Physics in high school) and everyone around me assumes I should live an academic life and continue onwards and upwards into an honours degree, masters degree and ultimately a doctorate. While I find this compelling, I do not love it. But in a way I do love it, I love maths and I love physics, but at the same time I really want to spend my days locked away in an office thinking about things. Equally I would love to do that.

If you speak to a different circle of people who know me, they will be surprised to find out I have degrees in physics and maths. I hate the word, but I am a creative. I single-handedly designed, published and launched a magazine (The Cardist Mag) when I was 16. I was on the forefront of the iPhoneography and Instagram movement when it started. I designed the brand and marketing material and started a theatrical and magic production company—Fascinating Lies—last year for a debut Adelaide Fringe Show, Reading Minds and Fascinating Lies. Among other creative minded things.

The moral of the story is really I have no idea what or where I want to go with my life. So this year I am taking it off from university and focusing all my time and attention on a series of projects I have wanted to do but never had time for. This may be creative projects, technical projects or projects I have yet to think of. Following in the footsteps of Pieter Levels and his 12 startups in 12 months project. I am doing something similar, but not startups and not really looking for success for any of the months, but the satisfactions of doing things I’ve wanted to do.

With the first month of the year done, I will retroactively post things for that month. But January will be a bit weird, because its the month I worked most intensely on two upcoming Adelaide Fringe shows; SUPERHUMAN and The Expert at the Card Table — How to Cheat at Cards both productions of Fascinating Lies. They don’t premiere until March 7 and February 17 respectively. So they’re not projects launched in January, but the bulk of the work was completed in January.

I am already breaking the 12 things in 12 months mantra, but it is my project I get to make the rules. Both January and February will be the months dedicated to the two Fringe shows. Starting March will be stand-alone projects. I will follow this post up with new blog posts outlining what its like to produce two magic shows simultaneously. But for now this is the introduction post to 12 Months, 12 Things. I hope you enjoy as I document this rouge year away from university.