Hello lovely friends,
I hope you're all doing well! 🌷
It's December and I'm starting to get notifications of yearly summaries in my emails and phone apps, so I guess it's time to do the annual sit down and reflect on 2022 (I'll mostly be writing about my art journey, but I also do love YearCompass for some high quality, inwardly reflection and planning)!!
The end of last year presented big crossroads in my life when I started to question my identity and direction, and as a consequence this year has been highy tumultuos and chaotic with a lot of challenges! Along with still feeling the repercussions of *huge* global events in the past few years, everything in my personal life just felt extra crazy these past twelve months.
The big things:
- I became a nomad this year (moved 6 times, just wanted to let you know because wow that's a big number!) and had to close The Honey Mustard Club since I no longer had a dedicated space for my studio and art. I miss mixing paint. And sharpening pencils. Wahh.
- I officially graduated (my last class was in 2021)! Gaining a formal qualification in creative industries was a *relatively* short but very intense path. I now know the pain of chaining all nighters and pushing through creative block when it feels like there's nothing left to give. ☠
- I got to live in San Francisco and it was really lovely to experience a different culture and country! Seeing art and meeting local artists in the Bay Area was also incredibly inspiring!
- I rebranded and I made a new website (thanks for being here)!
- I got an iPad - and this was honestly life changing for me!
With the big things came a lot of challenges to overcome! 😱
- I couldn't sell physical items, so I started to make more digital products and utilising print on demand services (for now!). This allowed me to reopen my shop eventually!
- Physically moving around caused me to feel directionless, so I did a lot of 'soul searching' to figure out my identity, and my identity as an artist. I ended up drawing more than ever and trying different things with my art, which is why I felt it was time to rebrand.
- I want to become a full-time artist one day, which means I have to utilise social media more than I'd like. I had to kick my posting anxiety and attempted to stick to a schedule for a while. It was soul sucking, to be honest (I don't recommend). On the bright side, I ended up making more artist friends - and even got to meet one in person!
- I transitioned into primarily digital art - not just out of convenience (and because all my art supplies are in moving boxes) but because Procreate on the iPad is such a joy to work with. I use it every day. It makes digital art so accessible to me.
- I had to put some creative projects on pause. There are so many things that I want to put 100% into but it's literally impossible when you have too many ideas! Figuring out my goals and benching others was difficult (and still a wip), but I am hopeful that I'll achieve them one day!
✨ And finally, my artsy goals for 2023! ✨
The big ones:
- Adding physical items back into The Honey Mustard Club and releasing more *magical* designs and products (including some digital ones)! I would also love to keep world-building.
- Opening another shop! You might be wondering why have two stores? But when I started HMC I wanted it to have it's own aesthetic and vibe which is just one facet of my art and identity. This second store would focus on other original pieces and fan art, and would be hosted right here!
The smol one:
- In conjunction with the previous goals, I'd love to start prepping to do in person events like conventions. I'm not sure when I'd be ready given current circumstances, but, baby steps!
There are so many other creative ideas, goals, and projects floating around in my head that I unfortunately haven't been able to include because this post would be waaaay too long, but I am so looking forward to seeing what the new year brings!
I hope your 2023 is amazing, memorable and you learn so many things during it. I would also love to hear about how your year went - leave me a comment below if you'd like 💛
Oh, and here's some art I made in 2022!
Stay magical,
✨ Abracadeborah