My Biggest Takeaway from the Past Year

At the end of 2021, I had some big “numbers” goals (followers, clients, income, etc.) I wanted to reach by the time 2023 rolled around. However, as we got deeper into 2022, my goals became less about numbers and more about my day-to-day. Was I happy with my workload? Was I doing work that I enjoyed? Was I taking the time to create work I was proud of? While I couldn’t say I was doing exactly what I wanted 100% of the time, I started to be more aware of where I put my time and energy. With that new focus, I found myself not worrying so much about what I “should be doing” and starting asking myself, “what needs to get done today?” and “what work do I want to be doing?”

As I began considering what I wanted to prioritize, another strange thing happened: my days started to free up. I was no longer forcing myself to continue working to fill up my schedule to make it look like I was being productive. With this free time, I was able to do other activities I love outside of design, like reading (I have read more books this year than I ever have), cooking and baking, as well as spending more time with friends and family (and our new puppy!) When I did feel like creating outside of work obligations, I had the time to take a Skillshare class, draw a few illustrations, or even just put a few more hours into a project I wanted to push further.

In 2022 I came to this realization: Once I blocked out the noise of what everyone was telling me I should be doing, how many followers I should have, and the type of content I should be making, I began to trust my own creative abilities and taste…and started having fun again.

So as I start planning for 2023, I’m keeping this breakthrough top of mind and trusting that the work I want to do will be what I naturally prioritize.

I highly recommend taking some time to reflect on your past year and see what mindset shifts you would like to carry over into 2023!

And because I know you want it…here’s a picture of our new pup, Burton!