January 2023 Recap: Goals and Accomplishments For The Month

January started and ended strong in relation to goals I set for the month and year. I focused this year on annual planning and then made tasks for each week in the current month. This helps me stay focused and feel less scattered when I sit down at my laptop. It brings organization to my design business since I know the tasks I need to accomplish for the day to reach my bigger goals.

Annual Planning

I started annual panning for my design business and am thrilled with this new approach to working and designing! I even have a rough sketch of an editorial calendar for the first time! Since I am expecting my first baby this summer, I circled my due date on the calendar and decided there were some things in my design business that I wanted to accomplish prior to baby’s arrival. Annual planning is new to me, but I decided which pattern collections I will release with an estimated timetable and determined my annual goals for the year. I am eager to see what I am able to accomplish with this new approach for 2023.

Hydrangea Pattern Collection

I released my first pattern collection of 2023 in January, called Hydrangea. It features hues of blue and periwinkles. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and I find their colors so soothing!

Setting A Goal to License Artwork

One of my main goals for 2023 is to license my artwork. Art licensing is a long process, but it’s the next step and I feel ready for it! I have a portfolio library of over 15 pattern collections, as well as other patterns and illustrations that are available for licensing in my public portfolio. Art licensing is an agreement between an artist and company to lease artwork for a period of time to use on various products. An artist makes money through royalty payments.

I’ve set aside time each week to research companies that would be a good fit, write pitch emails to art buyers and art directors, and keep track of companies I reach out to in a spreadsheet. I already feel that my efforts are paying off! This was one of my biggest goals I set for the year, but I knew I needed to take small steps each week to achieve it. It takes discipline and focus, but it gets easier each time I send an email to send the next one.

New Patterns on Society6

I posted two new patterns in my Society6 shop, my Cosmos and Roses pattern and my Strawberries pattern.

Blogging

I also set a goal to blog more often. I wrote two blogs on my design process in illustrator. The first blog post is about the behind-the-scenes of my pattern design in Adobe Illustrator. The second blog post is about my design process in Adobe Illustration from inspiration to final illustration.

I’m still juggling how to keep up my design blog and my book blog (Draws & Reads). I took a brief hiatus from reading unintentionally. I’m eager to get back into reading and reviewing books though! I want to aim for one blog post a week between the two blogs, but hope to add more as I am able. I streamlined the process for making blog graphics. I have templates for each blog so that my posts look similar and match my aesthetic. This makes it much easier to get a blog post done when I have a system in place!

Domain Name

I had a goal of switching my domain name and I now have a new website address and email! This was a long, arduous process, but I am happy with the end result! My website used to have a .design instead of .com at the end. I own the domain southerlydesign.com now! My email is karenmarie@southerlydesign.com with a Google Workspace Account through my Squarespace website. I am updating all social media accounts and am planning to order new business cards soon!

Exercise

On a more personal note, I was able to start exercising again. The first trimester of pregnancy was rough, but as I entered my second trimester, I wanted to start walking again. I’m very enthusiastic about exercise and I don’t cope well when I don’t have a regular exercise regimen. Exercise reduces my anxiety and helps me sleep much better, improving my overall well-being! It also helps me creatively. When I get fresh air, I feel like I can think more clearly and feel more inspired being in nature.

Looking Forward To February

February is the shortest month, but I still hope to accomplish a lot! I am focused on weekly blogging, art licensing pitches, and making time to create as well. I’ve also been exploring new ways to add income streams to my business. I found I like listening to podcasts that help me think through ideas and inspire creativity about what is possible in the design world. I hope to continue my habits to reach bigger goals in my design business!