I have really been enjoying the retrospectives of 2017 from the Tableau Twitter community. It's a great way to celebrate what someone has done and serves to frame up what people might want to do in the year ahead. In looking back at 2017, I came up with some interesting thoughts of my own.
It's not viz season for me.
I fully believe in having seasons of life. I had a season of running which I thoroughly enjoyed from 2014-early 2017. I am currently not in that season. I am currently in my weight-lifting season, which I am LOVING. But enough about fitness. I can't remember the last time I did a visualization. It might have been an opioid viz in July? Actually, it was the iron viz retrospective in October. Needless to say, it's not a regular thing. I fully recognize that I don't feel that creative spark to viz anymore. I once did a mother's day card and a comic book panel page in Tableau (shown above, my viz from 2014). Now, when I do viz, it's much more analytical, less creative (shown above, iron viz retrospective 2017).
There are a couple of reasons why I believe I don't feel that spark. I'm working a lot and have a lot on my mind. Whether it's at my full-time job or organizing viz-related events (like the Tableau Fringe Festival), or putting together coaching materials, my brain is ON basically all the time. This year has been stressful. It started with a pretty significant cyber-bullying and harassment case, I trained for the Glass Slipper Challenge, prepped for a fitness competition, had some family issues to contend with, and am really trying to get Pretty Strong Smart to take off. More stress equals less creativity for me.
For years, I have had this goal of being a technical resource in the Tableau community. I wanted that because I thought (and to a certain extent still believe) that that's what the Tableau community wants. While Tiny Tableau Tips was fun and proved to be a good resource, I'm not a technical resource.
There are a couple of reasons why I believe I don't feel that spark. I'm working a lot and have a lot on my mind. Whether it's at my full-time job or organizing viz-related events (like the Tableau Fringe Festival), or putting together coaching materials, my brain is ON basically all the time. This year has been stressful. It started with a pretty significant cyber-bullying and harassment case, I trained for the Glass Slipper Challenge, prepped for a fitness competition, had some family issues to contend with, and am really trying to get Pretty Strong Smart to take off. More stress equals less creativity for me.
For years, I have had this goal of being a technical resource in the Tableau community. I wanted that because I thought (and to a certain extent still believe) that that's what the Tableau community wants. While Tiny Tableau Tips was fun and proved to be a good resource, I'm not a technical resource.
And I'm okay with that.
It's Cheerleading season
Image from Paste Magazine/SNL and one of my most favorite SNL skits of all time.
What I have been LOVING is being able to provide the Tableau community a space to share their knowledge and increase their visibility. The fact that TFF is in its third year and is in three regions is astounding. I love thinking of ways to make it better, to provide more content, to make it official (so people can attend it as training for work and not feel compelled to take off to participate). I feel like a Tableau community cheerleader, and I think it's a role that suits me. I love being able to connect people and facilitate learning.
So Now What?
Where does that leave this data viz hobbyist? Well, there are some things that I am passionate about when it comes to dataviz and the Tableau community.
- Continuing the progress on TFF.
- Continuing the Tableau Wannabe Podcast and making it better.
- Supporting diversity and inclusion in the Tableau contests (starting with Iron Viz because there's energy around it).
- Sharing institutional knowledge. There has been a tremendous boom in the Tableau community. I feel like I was late to the game when I started getting involved in the Tableau community in 2013, now that feels like two decades ago. I think there are some observations to share since that time (look for this to be a podcast feature).
- Sharing my knowledge about dataviz with kids. I did a one hour talk with first and fourth graders and LOVED it. I have planned out a curriculum for a kids camp to teach kids about VizMagic. I'm reminded of the old voting adage, vote early and often. Expose kids to viz early and often and spark an interest that they can then determine what they do with it.
Image credit: WakeUpWilkesBarre
Lastly, the thing that I feel a spark about is helping Tableau community members reach their goals. This is a great community comprised of really smart and supportive members. So how can I contribute best? By helping all y'all reach your goals. I can fit pieces of the puzzle together when it comes to career planning. I have a conference that provides visibility and I can do my part to make it a diverse and inclusive conference. I LOVE this stuff and I would love to help anyone who wants some support and accountability. I think the last two images I have posted on my IG accounts is a really nice way to sum up my thoughts as I head in to 2018.
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