Well… 2021.

This time every year, I write an article reflecting on the year that was. This time last year, I wrote:

So, what does 2021 hold for Elm Communications? Honestly, who knows anymore! I mean it can’t be any weirder than 2020, right?!?

Well, I stand corrected.

I know at the end of 2020, we thought there was light at the end of the tunnel, and the dark, weird days of the pandemic were over. People were feeling optimistic about 2021. Little did we know what was in store.

It was a long year separated from family and friends, as many others have been with milestone birthdays and other events celebrated online. I spent hours and hours in the garden with my husband and furr babies. I ate and drank all of the things (to support local, of course!). And I did what felt like 7345 laps around our neighbourhood.

For those of you that know me well, it’s been a long two years without leaving the country. Travel is a big part of my life and brings me great joy – it is simply part of who I am. And while I found opportunities to take small breaks this year to Queensland (where we faced a cyclone) and Mudgee (where we narrowly avoided lockdown), it’s just not the same as experiencing another culture.

I worked with 28 different clients this year, working mostly online, at home and through lockdowns. I got to do some amazing things like work with the Cook Islands Government in January to launch their economic strategy and run creative thinking training in the Sydney Aquarium with turtles swimming overhead. I spent more hours on Teams and Zoom than I care to count.  I worked with amazing teams on challenging topics like climate change, endangered species, and severe weather.

2021 brought days of tears, loneliness, laughter and joy. It was like a mixed bag of lollies, some days, you just wanted to put back.

Thank you again to everyone who supported Elm throughout 2021. I am forever grateful to my loyal clients, who have helped me keep a small business running, even during a global panemic!

As I face year four in business, who knows what 2022 will bring? I won’t even try to guess anymore. It probably will be weird, wonderful, and challenging. It seems to be the way of the world.

I am taking a little break over the summer to recover from all of the human interaction during the festive period—some quiet time down the coast and a significant birthday for my husband to round out the year.

See everyone from 17 January!