Long time no post on this blog. I thought 2020 was bad, goodness the past couple of years have really tested not just me, but I think everyone. I know New Years Resolutions aren't for everyone but for me I love that idea of looking back at my old goals and seeing how I did. I never pressure myself to hit goals but it's nice to have something to aim for and have a plan.
I thought first of all I'd look over my goals from 2021 and see how I did. Is there anything I completed or anything I can improve on and bring into 2022? Lets have a look shall we... • Have more wonderful clients & produce more commission work This is something I think I did really well in considering it was my first year doing freelance design work. I ended up working with 21 clients, with 6 returning for more work. I've build up some great relationships and produced a variety of work, from logos to merchandise design, full streaming sets to emotes.
• Produce Pre-Made Graphics This is something I didn't actually follow through. This goal was written more for digital elements like business cart templates, Instagram Story highlights etc. Reading back this could be something I expand into this year as it'd be good to have more passive income in months were freelance work is quieter.
• Apply to Creative Market I did apply and I was approved... but then never did anything with the shop. I actually got approved this time last year (February 2021). This is something I could tie in with the pre-made graphics above and have more than 1 platform for my work.
• Expand into Twitch Graphics This is something I very much did! It does tie into my "pre-made graphics" goal which is good. The shop now has over 90 items for streamers including stream packages, emotes, sub badges and more. This expansion into the Twitch Graphics really helped me get a lot with getting freelance commission work. I also made a price list for custom commission pieces so people can apply for a slot & know the price they will pay.
• Run a bullet journal for 2021 I did indeed do this. I shared my spreads up until August and worked on them on my own. I did carry on but November & December I didn't fill it in as much and really found that my productivity was hit hard. I did try and move to Notion but I think having a psychical bullet journal for me helps me remember what I need to and also help my train of though.
So overall I'd say I did quite well. Considering I also had to deal with some family illness and that we are still indeed in a pandemic, I think I should look at this as quite positive. I can't help but feel I want to achieve more though! So this year we are really "going hard or going home" with these goals! Lets do it!
• Expand my Etsy shop stock & hit 1,000 sales! As of January 1st I had 429 sales on my Etsy, which is a fantastic number to hit! In 2020 I had 17 sales, in 2021 I had 412 sales. In 2022 I'd like to have over 1,000 sales by the end of the year! I big goal I know. I had 108 sales in January and need to have at least 83 sales per month in order to this this goal. I also want to expand my stock on Etsy which I have started to do. Animated emotes will be in the shop, as well as badge flairs. I want to try new stock ideas though, such as streaming schedule templates. I'd like my Etsy to be a one stop shop for anyone streaming to make their set up the best they can in an easy and affordable way
• More freelance design work I want to carry on working with clients on freelance design projects. Even though I still get nervous working with clients I find it so rewarding. I've been so lucky to have some amazing clients so far and I hope I can carry that on into 2022. I've already had quite a few clients thanks to a sale on commissions I had in January so I want to keep that going.
• Total Rebrand and Website overhaul It's time to have a total rebrand of my logo and my website. When I did my re-design in 2021 I was still not sure of my style and my own brand. I feel like I have a better idea of how I want to present myself and my work. This will take some time but I hope to have this completed in February *fingers crossed*. Once all the rebrand is done it will take some time to update the Etsy shop but I honestly think it'll be work it!
• Producing more pre-made graphics on more sites Having a passive income right now for me is very helpful (as I can end up caring for ill family members throughout the week and still can't leave the house to keep them safe). I want to start creating bullet journal spreads and stickers digitally. This was something I thought of doing last year but got swept up with Twitch graphics. I'll be finally utilising my Creative Market account and want to sell stock photos, Bullet Journal stickers and maybe even fonts. For Etsy I would like to sell the Bullet Journal spreads, stickers and Streaming Schedule templates.
• Be more productive This is something I am ok at but I struggle sometimes to work out what I'm meant to be doing and when. I'd love to have a proper schedule in place and a plan to be able to be more productive. I've started a bullet journal this year to track my progress as well as keep on track with goals. I was thinking of things to try to help too such as the "Pomodoro Method".
• Focus on myself Something I haven't done... well I don't think I've ever done this. This year I want to make time to focus on myself and my health. I think like many the stress and worries of 2021 meant my health took a big nose dive. I want to lose some weight and become fitter and healthier again. I also want to make time just for me to enjoy hobbies, play games or just zone out for a bit. I suffered quite bad burnout in 2019 after 5 years in a studio that I worked 50-60 hour weeks. I still feel the effects of this even working from home now. I'd also love to start doing more personal art pieces and DTIYS pieces. I did one last year and it was so much fun!
Well those are my goals. I think they're quite bold but I think it'll be so rewarding being able to hit them all! I really can't wait to see what I do in 2022. Even though I'm starting in February I feel like you can put plans and goals in place any time of the year for yourself. What goals would you like to hit in 2022?