A year ago today I posted that we’re somehow almost done with 2017. I can’t believe it’s been a year since then. In that post, I laid out my intentions for the close of the year. From finishing the Industrial Revolution project to a speaking appearance to a National Parks Collaboration, those goals have all largely come to fruition.

Some things, like the “then and now” pictures, as well as the Atlantic Slave Trade project were a bit frivolous. Then and now was pretty fun and I’ll continue to post them periodically, but really it’s not super impactful to where I should do it daily like I was trying to. The slavery project is awesome, and I’d like to do some serious research on Rhode Island’s role in it, but Traces of the Trade is already an incredibly comprehensive project that, while not the angle I’d be using for my narrative, brings enough to the table that I don’t feel like I need to pursue it right now.

I’ve absolutely branched out in my content. Most recently I have focused a lot more on writing (because I can only handle so much video production at once, especially with a jobby-job still in the picture). I’ve begun detailing my videography kit, with the first post taking readers through completion of Rhode Island’s Industrial Revolution. As production of Scrimshaw draws to a close, I will be posting a second part to it that goes over the changes to my kit as well as to my style since then. There have been a lot.

As many of you know, I traveled to Germany on my honeymoon. This was both for the cultural experience as well as to scope out where my wife and I would like to live. While there, we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial, and my post about it was both emotional and thorough. Lately I’ve felt my writing improve.

My primary project right now is a documentary entitled, “Scrimshaw: A Whaling Story.” It’s a collaborative project with the National Park Service through the New Bedford Whaling Park. It will feature several interviews with Park Rangers, historians, artists, and anthropologists who all have so much to add to the story. It’s been a complex undertaking but I feel like I’m being thorough about it.

As of now I intend to publish it in two different packages. The first will be the home viewing version. It will include the DVD with the film (which will be published to YouTube in installments) as well as exclusive bonus features that you cannot get elsewhere.

The second will be an Institutional Edition, which will have a bonus disc of full interviews and behind the scenes footage. It will also have a booklet of production notes and photographs and include public screening rights.

Rhode Island’s Industrial Revolution wound up being a much more involved project than I’d ever anticipated. Shortly after it’s release to YouTube, it was screened at the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Requests from the audience led to it being published to DVD. Sales of the DVD have allowed me to upgrade my camera equipment and pay for a second run of DVDs, for a total of 150 copies run off.

I can’t believe that.

As I reach out to more people, I’m becoming better known in the region in anthropological and historical groups. I’m being contacted for screenings and things are legitimately starting to gain traction, albeit slowly. As of right now, there are three screenings booked, however two have tentative dates (one in 2019) with the definite one being September 24th.

I am still going to be working on building my audience base. My Patreon page will eventually be the primary source of income for Pedal Powered Anthropology, with DVD sales and speaking appearances being secondary. For the remainder of the year, my efforts will be focused mainly on production of Scrimshaw, as well as building my audience base so that my content reaches further than ever and I can start securing stable income for my projects.

I am working tirelessly on being as interactive as I can with my audience, both in terms of everyone being able to get something out of my work, as well as personally responding to inquiries and asking for input when necessary.

I’m a little behind in some ways.

My interview with Dr. Gale Goodwin Gomez from Rhode Island College for my introduction to anthropological linguistics video is completed, but I’ve yet to finish and post that video. I’ve also yet to create the GPS map and GPX file for my Industrial Revolution route. However, I have received a good amount of interest and have been working out a historical tour of several of the key sites from the film.

I still have a lot of pictures from production of Rhode Island’s Industrial Revolution that have yet to make it to Facebook. But perhaps that’s a job for a snow day.

I’m not sure exactly what to expect for 2019. I am slowly trying to let Anthrospin purchase a new bike for itself. But I’m not trying to rush it. Tinker Galoot works fine. Things go in fits and starts, but I really cannot imagine what next year has in store. At the end of last year, I wanted to finish a few things and also added on several projects I intended as ways to keep myself motivated.

I never imagined being published to DVD and having universities interested in purchasing copies of my work to screen in their classrooms. But here we are. 2019 is going to be an intense year.