New Years is secretly my favorite holiday. Christmas and Thanksgiving are great, but I’ve learned I have a pretty low threshold for relaxing, eating, and vacationing (thanks for that gene, Dad). After three days of sitting around, I start desperately inventing projects to do so I don’t go crazy. I re-vamp my website. I refresh my email. I write blog posts.
For me, New Years is a productive holiday. Rather than lounge around, I evaluate my priorities and plan for the future. I love it. And I love not feeling bloated.
Last year, I separated my 2024 goals into art goals and business goals. My art goals were completely craft-related—things over which I had 100% control. My business goals were another story. At the time, setting goals for my freelance business felt sort of like taking shelter in a tent during a hurricane—a little pointless. I was switching agents and pivoting to larger children’s book projects. With all the uncertainty, I set cautious goals. I wish I dreamed bigger!
Last Year’s Art Goals:
Experiment with different mediums and make naive art.
I smashed this. For me 2024 was the year of mixed-media. I combined the strangest inks, markers, and paints, all the while feeling completely overindulged. With art, you know you’re doing something right when you feel like you’re getting away with something.
2. Do a few realistic gouache paintings and incorporate my discoveries into my art.
I hardly did this.
3. Make some graphite pieces with lost and found forms.
I lost interest in this.
4. Write a few children’s stories.
This culminated in a three-week mad dash to create a completed dummy book for an SCBWI conference (deadlines can be very motivating). I loved the intensely focused work of being an author-illustrator under deadline, and I want to bring this productive storyteller energy into 2025.
5. Make a couple decorative pieces just for fun, maybe depicting seasonal activities.
This was less of a goal and more something to keep me occupied between client-work when I didn’t know what to paint. I managed to make a few pieces in this vein.
6. Design Corbin’s and my first family Christmas card.
I totally didn’t do this.
Last Year’s Business Goals:
Sell my work at art markets & farmer’s markets.
Selling at fairs was a lot of work, and a big learning curve. I ended up selling at two farmer’s markets and two art fairs. My biggest takeaway? Farmer’s markets aren’t worth the time. People go to farmer’s markets to buy corndogs, not artwork. Art markets on the other hand are amazing. The people are friendly and interested in what you’re selling. I especially loved “The Springville Art Festival." Selling was fun but sweaty work during my nauseous first trimester of pregnancy.
Teach art.
I left this goal purposely vague, mainly because I was afraid it wouldn’t happen. Teaching art has always been a dream of mine. Clarifying my goal made it feel scary and unattainable. This goal should really have read: “Teach art at BYU.”
While in high school, I attended “BYU Design Week,” a summer camp for high schoolers interested in art. We spent an entire week in figure drawing, painting, and sketching classes with BYU professors. It was the first time I ever met successful adult artists. They showed us their client work and inspired us to pursue illustration more seriously. I thought they were the coolest people in the world, and I decided I wanted to be one of them someday.
In September I was hired to teach an Illustration Fundamentals class at BYU. It was a stretching experience. Teaching is a beast of its own, and I constantly worry I’m not eloquent enough to speak in front of a classroom– but helping students develop creatively is really fulfilling. Teaching at BYU was one of the highlights of my year.
Open up my shop again.
Did it.
Acquire an Epson Expression 12000XL Graphic Arts Scanner.
I settled for the Epson Perfection V600.
2024 was a great year. I moved back to Utah, switched agents, and got pregnant. This next year I’m genuinely excited for each of my goals. Many of them seem trivial, but I’m sure they’ll serve me amidst caring for a newborn.
Health and Family:
Develop my mom skills: good homemade meals, home remedies, daily chore routine.
I officially become a mom in April and I want planning, prepping, and cooking nourishing meals to feel so routine that I don’t even think about it.
Regular workout routine with baby. Lifting, yoga, and weekly cardio.
I’ve already got this dialed in. The trick will be incorporating a little human into it.
Regular hikes with friends, family, and baby.
I’ve had some of my favorite conversations while walking through the mountains. More of this, please!
Regular runs with Mom, Jacob, Corbin, and baby.
Let’s face it. The only chance I’ll actually do weekly cardio is if another person comes with.
Art:
Upload regularly to YouTube. One video a month.
This is a tall order for me, even without a newborn. We’ll see how this one holds up. I’m also documenting my current book project and plan to release it after publication. Stay tuned!
Regularly write about my feelings, thoughts, and life.
Writing helps me discover and clarify what I believe. In recent months, I’ve let that slip.
Create another dummy book.
The trick here will be writing something that deserves to be a dummy book in the first place.
Have a creatively inspiring sketchbook practice.
Lately I’ve been following Emma Carlisle’s sketchbook challenges on Patreon. She’s helped me break through creative blocks, be less precious with my work, make dozens of mixed media experiments, and even draw regularly with my left hand,. Prioritizing play is so important.
Do regular on-location drawing with friends and alone.
I recently started a drawing group for artists based in Salt Lake City. It’s so fun meeting with other illustrators, exchanging art supplies, and admiring everyone’s unique way of working. Drawing in public will always be my preferred way to socialize.
Spirit:
Daily scripture study.
In 2023 I read The New Testament every day. It profoundly deepened my love for God. Though my study dropped a bit in 2024, I’m determined to pick it up again this next year.
Family prayer with Corbin every night.
Re-read “Saints.”
A great book about the history of our church.
Entertainment:
Watch classic movies with Corbin. Create a library of movies we want our kids to watch.
It bothers me that I haven’t read all the best books ever written, or seen the best movies ever made.
Regularly listen to classical music in the car and while working.
Mainly for baby.
Go to art museums with Corbin.
My preferred date-night includes tearing up in front of large paintings.
And that’s it! I’m excited to report on our year of change when the time comes.
Thanks for reading.
I love reading all your posts Audrey! You are so talented and amazing— I am a huge fan!❤️ Linda H