2024 A Year in Reflection
Jaychrist Teves
Maker of Functional & Meaningful Experiences, & Chief Creative of All Things Awesome at TDPH ??
What a wild, beautiful ride this year has been—a chapter of immense growth, untamed creativity, and heart-shifting realizations. This year, I learned to embrace both the pleasure of discovery and the ache of letting go. It feels like a nod to that quote I once came across— “Here is the world. Better and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” Those words have lingered with me for years, their truth becoming clearer with each turn of the seasons. Life, I’ve found, is never one thing; it’s always the balance of contradictions. Fear, in itself, isn’t the beast we dread—it’s the shadows of what could be. But facing those shadows this year, I found something surprising... Clarity. And in that clarity, my own reflection stared back at me.
Right now, I feel grateful—deeply, unshakably lucky to be alive, to be doing what I love, and to have found love anew.
Traditionally, the year’s end has always been a time for me to pause, slow down, and pour my reflections into a journal. But this year? It’s different. Life feels alive, like it’s pulsing all around me. Instead of pen to paper, I’m weaving my gratitude into these words, hoping they carry warmth to you.
If there’s one big takeaway for me this year, it’s this... Not every path is worth walking. Some paths will light you up, others will fade, and that’s okay. There’s strength in knowing when to take a step forward and when to let go. The courage to change course isn’t easy—it’s raw and messy—but it’s also necessary. This year, I’ve faced a ton of challenges both personal, and career wise. I’ve wrestled with losing my faith and then, against all odds, found it again. I’ve made the conscious decision, every single day, to be a better husband and father. Reinvention isn’t just something that happens once—it’s a constant, and I’m learning to lean into it.
This year began as a slow crawl—a quiet rebuilding from the ashes of what once was. But as the months unfolded, so did signs of new life. I’ve stayed grounded in the present, and the momentum has been transformative. To everyone who’s welcomed my work into their homes this year... Thank you. The honor isn’t just in creating—it’s in witnessing how these pieces breathe life into new spaces. Every work I put out there made feels like a dialogue. The act of sending me gratitude email(s)? That’s when it exhales and begins speaking for itself.
Success, I’ve come to realize, doesn’t come from chasing trends or comparing paths. It’s in staying committed to your own vision, no matter how quiet the room feels. My desktop can be a lonely place, especially in seasons of doubt or the weight of anxiety. But the work—the real work—comes from showing up anyway. Not for results, but for discovery. Not for balance, but for integration. The creativity and the life? They’re inseparable.
As we step into another year, I’m not setting resolutions. I never have. I don’t need mood boards or manifestos to chart the way forward. Instead, I’m doubling down on something simpler... belief. Belief in showing up. Belief in the power of stillness and slow burns. Belief that abundance exists in the in-between moments. That’s how I’ll keep moving forward, one step at a time, as we all circle the sun again.
Here’s to you, to growth, and to the quiet magic of just being. Wishing you a beautiful, transformative year ahead.
Have An Awesome New Year.
Wisdom
“Here is the world. Better and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.”
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