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2013 Goals – Happy New Year!

A week short, but I’ve finally gotten a chance to sit down and write a bit about my goals for 2013 and how I did on my 2012 goals as well.

The year started off right with a wonderful illustration workshop at the Light Grey Art Lab in Minneapolis. The workshop was taught by one of my favorite illustrators, Kali Ciesemier. It was great to meet Kali who is incredibly knowledgeable and is also generous with her knowledge and attention. I was fortunate enough to spend the entire weekend with a group of illustrators from around the country (and Canada). We talked about everything from promotion, websites, Photoshop techniques, and types of illustration to more introspective topics about what makes us happy and what kind of lifestyle we utimately want for ourselves. I came away with some great goals for the 2013 and I’ve already taken steps towards some of them.

First things first, though. Did I acheive the goals I set in 2012? You can see last year’s post here.

It looks like I acheived them for the most part. I didn’t create anything new for Denver Comic Con and my secret project hasn’t been launched. That project shifted a bit and is now something I’m working on for 2013. I definitely drew a lot more in 2012 and not only applied for residencies, but spent a month at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts working on a graphic novel project.

And now, on to goals for 2013:

1. Finish my graphic novel adaptation.I have been working on a graphic novel adaptation of someone’s memoir since the middle of last year. I don’t want to say too much yet. It is currently under consideration at the original author’s publisher and once I know if they are interested it will allow me to make some decisions about what I want to do with it (take it to other publishers, self-publish, kickstart, etc.). I have also applied for a table at CAKE this year and hope to be able to sell the first few chapters of this book. Regardless of what the publisher wants, I want to finish the entire project in 2013.

2. Add more food and lifestyle illustration to my portfolio.For much of my illustration career, I’ve been pursuing conceptual illustration in a big way. I’ve come to realize that that may not be the best route for my work. I would like to add more food and lifestyle illustration to my portfolio and begin pursuing more of that type of work.

3. Get hired to do more whiteboard illustration/video scribing.In the last year and a half I have done a lot of whiteboard illustration (I don’t do the video production for videos, only the illustration). I find the work to be fun and challenging, and seeing the end result is always exciting. This year I will start by sending some examples of my work in this area to agencies I think might be interested and hopefully I can build a solid business on this type of work.

4. Experiment and make things with my hands.I’ve purchased modeling clay and armature wire and I plan to start learning how to needlefelt. My goal is to try a lot of new things this year and maybe try my hand at sculptural illustration. Even if it doesn’t work for me, it sounds fun to try.

5. Develop alternate revenue streams.Whether it’s more custom, original paintings, a different print fulfillment site, or handmade goods I can sell, I feel it would be valuable for me to develop some alternate ways of bringing in income. We are in the age of the entrepreneur and I want to take full advantage.

And there you have it. What are some of your goals for 2013? Did you acheive your goals for last year?

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year and to thank you for following and sharing my work. I’m happy to have such wonderful followers and I wish you all success in your endeavors this year!