Hey folks,

So I’m retiring myself from any kind of freelance work for the foreseeable future. There will be the occasional side project, but it’s time to pursue new goals I’ve been thinking about for some time.

New Goals—New Blog. It just seemed appropriate.

I really appreciate all the help everyone’s given me over the past few years finding my way, and seeking new endeavors. It’d take a while to thank all of you, and I hope you’ll forgive me for just rattling off a few people here:

• Thanks so much for all the help and fun so far Matthew Kammerer and Andrew Maier. Between UX Booth and all our other adventures, your talents and friendly attitudes have kept me excited about the future of the web and there never seems to be a dull moment.
• Kyle Steed, Aaron Irizarry, Chris Wallace and friends: Maybe the future of blogging won’t be so bleak when we have people like you fighting for quality, community and value.
• Atlanta’s web community is in good hands between masterminds like Mike Schinkel and the friendly faces at the locally owned Regator.com. It’s been a blast watching people like you developing such a helpful culture!
• Vitaly Friedman from Smashing Magazine keeps demonstrating how kind and awesome their team is by throwing dogs like me bones and new opportunities I don’t deserve.
• Between awesome conversations, and Michael Caldwell’s insane work ethic, life sure has been interesting and eventful these past few years!
• And I must admit that it would have been hard making it this far without the inspiration and help along the way from people who clearly love what they do, and do a gosh darn good job of it: Tony Hsieh, Darren Rowse, Collis Ta’eed, Nick Finck, Chris Coyier, Fabio Sasso & Many More.

This isn’t goodbye of course, but a shift in direction. I’m going to continue with my (increasingly simple) chores around UX Booth and Tutorial9 this year where we’ve built fantastic communities of contributors and helpful readers. However, it’s not my goal to become the next great innovator on the net. I will probably always do this for fun—I’ve always considered myself to be nothing more than an enthusiast…

This year I’m committing myself serving around my community in new ways, and knowledge building. Goals are set for the new year, and I’m excited about finally having the opportunity to give back. Hopefully I’ll have more chances to connect with you all in the new year!