We’re down to the last few hours of the year, which is when I like to reflect on what I did and how that can inform what I do next year.
This year had a lot of cool moments, but they were defined by three major milestones: I ventured into a new industry, vended at my first public art/craft fair, and took on my first major freelance project that wasn’t for a small business.
1. New(ish) Industry
I say “ish” because I’m still a designer and I plan on always being a designer. However, design is incredibly broad and a designer can work on anything from app user flows to patterns on apparel. After being trained for and working in what can be grouped into advertising & marketing for 3 years, I started a gig working on signs and graphics for environments—specifically the Disneyland Resort. This was the first time I found myself on the “product” side of things rather than the “marketing” side, and also the first time I went into work every day with a sense of not really knowing how to do anything. Both of these aspects were incredibly exciting to me, and I loved the challenge. On the nostalgic/fangirl side it was also THE BEST being able to see my design work in Disneyland, aka my favorite place in the world, and know that it will be there for years to come.
2. First Art Fair!
In June I tabled at Ground Zero Animation Expo with an old roommate, which meant I had to come up with a series of products to sell. I had NEVER done that before, and it was very daunting to think about at the time I signed up for the event. But it proved to be an amazing experience— I spent months brainstorming product ideas and created a TON of personal work in the process, and now I have the groundwork laid to table at another convention in the future! I am excited to work on more stuff that isn’t for a client, because then I can better figure out my voice as an artist and how to then market that voice.
3. FIRST REALLY REALLY BIG CLIENT PROJECT
Yes, I do freelance work and I’ve done a few projects this year, but typically the projects I do are for other individuals or small businesses. I love the variety of clientele I’ve taken on over the years: a coffee shop, photographers, musicians, children’s book illustrators, basketball teams/leagues, and a small film production studio. This year I was connected with a new client that I am still so extremely excited about, and I am working on a project that has honestly been a dream for me. I can’t go into details as I am under NDA, but it will go out next year! One of my goals is to eventually be able to do freelance lettering work outside of an office job, and I feel like this is the first real step towards that. I am VERY proud to be a part of this project as an independent designer, and I look forward to doing more work like this in the future!
Some honorable mentions that don’t really fit into these three points include taking a workshop from one of my absolute favorite designers (Nick Misani), going back to Cal Poly to review senior portfolios (my second year doing so), organizing a talk at work with the incomparable Paul Antonio, making a custom vinyl Jack Skellington head in honor of The Nightmare Before Christmas’ 25th Anniversary, and continuing to meet and network with designers and lettering artists that I admire. Looking back, I am proud of what I did this year, and I really hope to continue pushing myself next year!
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