Start of a New Year

The first few weeks of a new year have always been a challenge for me. The magical (and exhausting) social whirlwind of the holidays combined with Q4 markets, sales, and workshops has me operating on an over-caffeinated overdrive for all of November and December. I know this is the case with SO many makers, artists, and small business owners at the end of the year. It’s our busiest and most stressful time, often when small businesses make a large chunk of their yearly income. In the thick of December, I often thought, “I can’t wait until January when I can finally rest”.

January finally arrived, and for the first few weeks, I was stressed out that I had no energy to be productive! I felt so much guilt around taking the rest I clearly needed. It took me a while to emotionally and energetically balance out and accept the slower pace of the winter. I finally found some chill, I’ve been enjoying many couch hours, and I am embracing the rest. With a clearer mind, I’m excited to think into in the future and what I can set in motion to have a successful, sustainable, and joyful year.

So what’s in store for this year? Here are a few of my hopes, dreams, and goals for 2023.

Finding Routine. One of the perks and challenges of being self-employed is that you are the creator of your own schedule everyday. For me, distractions come a little too easy. My hope is to plan out my week on Sunday evenings and have a similar schedule week over week with set studio hours and admin days. I rely on my Passion Planner to help keep me organized, but if anyone has other tips to stay in a routine, let me know!

Journalling. I have gone in and out of journalling eras throughout my whole life! I know that I feel much more present and grounded when I have a consistent journalling practice. It helps me process my emotions, plan out my work, set goals, make to-do lists, think more intentionally about my experiences, and jot down my memories. All of these things contribute to strength in my art practice and balance in my life.

Outreach. One big strategy that I want to build in my business is client outreach. There are endless opportunities out there, and I need to go out and find them! It can be intimidating and vulnerable sending out cold emails and messages, applying to residencies and shows, and contacting galleries. Putting yourself out there is hard, but can be very rewarding. My outreach this year will be focused on art consultation groups, mural projects, and interior designers.

Murals. Last year, I painted a few murals to see if I liked the process and wanted to continue pursuing it. Turns out, I had a lot of fun, got to travel a bit, and enjoyed exploring new techniques and new challenges. Mural painting It is such a different process than what I’m used to, it flexes a whole different set of skills and materials. I’m eager to see how I can translate my personal style and view point to more murals in 2023. Interested in a mural? Send me a message!

Prints. More high quality prints are coming your way in 2023! This past year, I trialed & errored my way through creating my first batch of prints and printed cards. They turned out well, but my hope is to hone in on the quality, color, paper texture, sizes and image choices to bring the best prints to you! They’ll be on the website by Spring is the goal!

Whether it be life/daily intentions or goals in my business, I am always hoping to get a tiny bit better everyday. Little changes and updates make a big difference. This artist-life of mine is a beautiful and growing one. I can’t wait to see what happens in 2023. Thanks for following along!