It’s important to reflect every once in a while. For me (Sammy here), that comes around each year on what I like to call Pixel Day (the anniversary of the first Pixel Planet Today post). Four short years ago (or long, depending on how you look at it), I started a small project that would end up changing my professional goals and shape the (hopeful) rest of my career. It started as daily pixel designs but has since turned into so much more. Even in just the last year, we made the leap to starting a green tech company for our projects (which now include Pixel Planet Today, merch, and two in-development games), amassed close to half a billion Giphy views, and even worked with big names like World Rainforest Day and Plastic Free July (organizations that we could only dream of working with before). We sadly didn’t release Pinekeepers, move to making posts with 100% renewable energy, or hit some of the other random goals we had for the year, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? Plus, I’m sure Rome wasn’t built by a small team of volunteers (trying to keep our head up here).
Reflecting, for me, always does three things. First, I get excited about the things we’ve accomplished. This last year (even this last month!) has led to some of the most exciting developments of the project (and Terrabyte as a whole). Second, I get excited about what the next year might have in store. We are working SO HARD to get one of our other projects primed for primetime, and I cannot wait to see what it will mean for us in general. And third, I get an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I’m so incredibly thankful that I can do any of this – there is truly nothing I would rather do with the rest of my life than work towards restoring and protecting our natural world through design and technology. Even if I can’t pay myself a wage just yet – with where things are headed, I’m sure it’s just on the horizon.
None of this is possible without your continued support. None of it’s possible without the DMs about post ideas, the requests for collaborations, or even the double-taps on Instagram posts. It’s not possible without the email opens, the story shares, or the sticker purchases. The comments, the searches, the gifs – it all contributes to our success. So seriously, thank you a million times over, for supporting our goal, and personally, my dream.