I knew I wanted to write a post summing up the previous decade, and then I decided to let the past ten years of creative work sum things up for me.

So... here's one link (and in one case, two links) to represent each year. Some are music, some are words, some you've probably seen before, and some you probably haven't. Not every link leads to something I created during its respective year (the first link is actually a Billfold article from 2014, for example) but every selection tells a true story about something that happened during that year.

Here we go.

2009: I saved my first $10,000.

2010: I got out of debt and bought a guitar.

2011: I helped put together a They Might Be Giants tribute album.

2012: I moved to Los Angeles for love and music. (Neither worked out.)

2013: I moved to Seattle for love and money (one of them worked out) and began writing 5,000 words a day for all kinds of freelance clients, including The Billfold.

2014: I got to perform in Molly Lewis's original musical Thanksgiving vs. Christmas.

2015: I began writing The Biographies of Ordinary People.

2016: I got out of debt again.

2017: I moved to Cedar Rapids for family, community, music, and money.

2018: I tried running The Billfold (it didn't work out). I also bought a piano.

2019: I had my first six-figure year as a freelancer.

Here's to the next decade. ❤️