It’s 2012, and here at The Compass we are beginning a great transformation. Anthony, Luke, Tim and I have been writing and sharing on The Compass for a year and a half. Our goals have always been to share our work and inspire others to use their creativity and minds to their full potential.

Now, we are joined by four other creative and thoughtful people. Our friends Hillary, James, Patrick and Sarah are adding their voices to this site. I am excited about the possibilities inherent in a more diverse group of contributors. No longer are the roles so define, the methods of creation so isolated. While you can still expect a song from me every month, I will also be posting prose pieces like this, as well as some other things that I’ll wait to describe until I actually make them. In addition to improving the quality and variety of pieces shared on The Compass, we’re also striving to provide a better venue for conversation. I am hoping that The Compass feels less like a textbook for our creations and more like a party where all the guests are curious and interesting, nobody feels forced to stand in the corner all night alone and the food isn’t just dining hall pizza. This is a more mature party for a more mature Compass.

It’s no accident that this change took shape on January 1st. I believe there’s something powerful in us beginning this on the first day of a new year, especially since it’s also the first day of the week. It’s as if the universe has aligned to provide us with a perfect starting point for this undertaking.

But maybe it means nothing. There’s a fascination with the new year as the opportunity to make a grand overhaul of one’s body or environment. It’s why gym membership sign-ups peak and why we create resolutions to do good deeds for others. But it’s not as if we are given new lives on the first of January. We don’t receive new families or new friends, new opinions or new values, new passions or new priorities. The opportunity we see in New Year’s Day to change ourselves is one we can find in any day, in any moment. With that ability comes the responsibility to live up to the opportunity.

So we here at The Compass must take this date and use it as a guide. There is a lot we can do this year, with everything we have now. Every day will be a challenge to share new and interesting ideas. Every day, we must seek to create a world in which creativity and contemplation are praised. Our goals — sharing and inspiring — will be at the heart of all we do, and I hope you continue to be a part of this.

-Paul