2016 felt like a whirlwind of things that needed to get designed, filmed, edited, built and so on! With all that went on, I thought it might be fun to do a year end blog about the Top 5 projects I worked on in 2016. Many of them seem to be videos, but that's ok, that's kinda my forté! I've blogged about a lot of these things already, so be sure to check out those blogs through the corresponding hashtags next to each entry.

5. Hammertime: My 2016 Halloween costume (that I recently blogged about) made my list simply because of how the project came together so well. I was MC Hammer, as you can see below. I put together many of the pieces through different means, the jacket being the one item I created from scratch.

I did my research and got the materials, then stitched the jacket together in one night. Thankfully it came together so well, otherwise the costume would not have been as successful as I thought it was! #mchammer

4. Shalom: In July my wife and I, along with the youth group from my church, embarked on a mission trip to San Lucas, Guatemala. There, we worked on various projects, served in an orphanage and got to experience the culture.

A recap of the event is embedded near this entry, one of the first times I got to put the youth group's new Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ1000 camera to use. I'm so impressed by the quality and vibrance of HD cameras these days. They make for a much more interesting recap video! #guatemala

3. Kid in a Candy Store: In April my wife and I took a trip to Florida, while there we visited the Kennedy Space Center. I snapped the below image with my iPhone, aided by my tiny fisheye lens that I attached to my phone (a gift from my wife).

The whole Space Center experience is something I've always known existed but had never participated in. I've always been enamored with space, so getting to experience this place made me feel like a little kid. This image has so many space elements in it that I just thought it was a perfect memory.

2. Leaving a Legacy: ignite camp tends to be a highlight for me each year. I have the opportunity to serve our youth group by capturing this camp with a video camera and generating 1-4 recap videos.

I think this year's final recap video came together nicely and was a stand out ignite video, primarily due to the use of the RGB effect on the footage and the incorporation of the 2016 camp logo. With this video, it was the first time I got to put the youth group's new Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ1000 camera to use. Which was just a really nice use of the camera. #ignitecamp

Honorable Mention: “I have this Mix...” As 2016 came to an end, my wife and her friend were tasked with entertainment for our youth group's Christmas event. Her idea was to mirror the widely popular Carpool Karaoke, seen on James Corden.

One of my stronger abilities is recreating something I see. So I was able to assemble a few GoPro's in my car and mic the cast, generating a video I think is a pretty passable Carpool Karaoke fan film!

1. Geronimo!: This TARDIS of mine seems to be making it into a lot of my blogs these past 2 years. I first built my TARDIS for a Time Travel themed Halloween party. I then had this TARDIS that I still don't know what to do with... So I put together a 'demo reel' of the TARDIS, in hopes that the video might stir up some interest in anyone wanting to rent or buy the TARDIS... I came up with a simple premise for the video and it came together really well, and looks like something I would enjoy seeing from a Doctor Who fan. #TARDIS

Check out my Mid-Year Mega Blog for some more projects I tackled this past year.

Overall, 2016 managed to deliver some pretty challenging design, film and photography projects, and I can't wait to see what 2017 has in store!

-The Media Buff

"The Year In Creativity Blog" 2016 Edition