I’m in a bit of a funk right now. There’s really no tiptoeing around that fact. I could list the reasons why and that list would run a mile long, but it inevitably comes down to one thing.
I miss freedom. And I miss the uncertainty that freedom brings, because sometimes, uncertainty is the catalyst for your most exciting memories.
I’m not one who enjoys being still. Quiet nights at home? I can deal with them but I’d rather not. Give me a sport to play, a movie to watch or a random car trip, please. Maybe I’ve got some serious ADHD going on? I don’t know. At this point, I just thought there’d be more. But here I am, at 25 – working every weekday, crashing when I get home, and going out on the weekend to forget about the past five days.
I despise this cycle. Falling into it has left me feeling like I’ve given up, like I’m not living life to the fullest. And I understand, sometimes this path is necessary. It’s a sacrifice you make to pay your way through night school or put food on the table for your kids. I, however, have no such tie-downs, so I’m left wondering – what on Earth am I doing? The answer? Trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Trying to make my wishes and desires conform to what the world thinks is “responsible”.
Somewhere in between my usual outing downtown on Friday and reading Vagabonding on Saturday, it hit me. Things have gotten far too routine for me to bear and I need to do something drastic.
By the time this post goes live, I will have given my two-weeks’ notice. I will go back to freelancing and consulting from home, just as I did last year – but with a twist. My work is location independent, and I plan on taking advantage of that. Fully. I’m not handcuffed to a desk here or anything. What’s stopping me from working from the library or a cafe? Or, to be a bit more wild… Thailand? Nothing really.
So here I go.
Posted by Shawn at 8:00 pm on March 15th, 2010.
Categories: Archive, Life.
For the past three months, there has been one constant in my life: my Abuzz project.
I played with what I felt was the final version about two weeks ago and ultimately decided to hold off until a few more things were added. The features in question were features I had planned to issue in a later update but instead found vital to what became Abuzz 1.0. I’m thrilled to say that Abuzz is now in the App Store.
If you plan on downloading the app, I would love to get your thoughts on it. Be sure to shoot me an email – shawnfarner [at] gmail [dot] com. Also, check out the official Abuzz web site over at AbuzzApp.com.
Finally, I’d like to thank Louis Gray for this great writeup.
I’m hoping to develop Abuzz past what everyone has seen so far – I won’t be satisfied until it’s a must-have for iPhone owners. I encourage you to ping me with ideas for features you’d like to see in updates. Email, call, text (717-884-9763) – it’s all good. :)
Thank you all so much,
Shawn
Posted by Shawn at 5:26 pm on January 19th, 2010.
Categories: Archive, abuzz, iphone. Tags: abuzz, app, app store, iphone.
With Abuzz development winding down (after a small delay), I’ve been wondering what project I’ll take on next. This isn’t to say that Abuzz won’t be improved upon and future releases won’t come out – the app will still own some of my life. But what will own it after that?
I could do another iPhone app. I have some ideas I’ve been kicking around and it doesn’t look like anyone else is doing them. Plus, after Abuzz, I feel confident that I could manage such a project and do so more smoothly. That route is open, but I’m currently looking in a different direction.
I want to do something disruptive.
Posted by Shawn at 4:45 pm on January 11th, 2010.
Categories: Archive, Life, Web 2.0, tech. Tags: abuzz, future, Life.
T-shirts are fun little conversation starters. If I’m not wearing something utterly ridiculous (my “I <3 Hot Moms” shirt, for instance… that photo isn’t me, by the way), I’m probably wearing a shirt from a Podcamp or one with a Web 2.0 company’s logo. When it’s the latter, I’m essentially a walking billboard for that particular company. I don’t mind though – hell, I got a free shirt.
You wouldn’t believe how many people have asked, “What’s socialmedian?” or “What’s Strands?” A guy behind the counter at a gas station in Hershey once asked me what BarCamp Harrisburg was. And because I love this stuff, I don’t mind talking a bit about it. Have I sent potential users to any of these sites? I really have no idea. There’s no Google Analytics for real life. The potential is there, though.
So send more shirts out to more people. Don’t just give them away in the Bay Area – send them everywhere. You’ll generate some good will and possibly create an evangelist for your product. If you want an example, look at this post. I was more than happy to link to a few companies and I’ll be more than happy to talk about them in the future to anyone who asks.
How much did it cost them? One t-shirt.
Posted by Shawn at 2:05 pm on October 1st, 2009.
Categories: Archive, Web 2.0, social media. Tags: social media, t-shirts, Web 2.0.
