Happy New Year! Welcome 2022!

Happy New Year! I can't believe it is 2022!

Instead of resolutions for the new year I chose to set goals. A resolution is a statement of intention whereas a goal gives you actual ambition and direction. A goal is a statement of commitment and I am committed to reaching my goals, growing my business and becoming the best I can be.

One of my goals for the year is to be more true to myself and in doing so be more self-confident. So I just want to start off the year by saying hello and telling you a bit about myself through art.

I am a traditional illustrator (obviously). I love animals and plants and they are the subjects of the bulk of my artwork. I am an introvert, though if you befriend me you'll find that I swear like a sailor and love my friends fiercely. I hate sexism, racism, misogynistic concepts and in general I dislike injustice. Two of my other peeves are noisy eating and a lack of boundaries. I think everyone deserves a chance and while I may not show my love and gratitude for others often, I feel it with every fiber of my being. ❤️

December we only had 2 events lined up and they were great. We were all set up at the Warner Park Recreational Center for Holidayfest and then we were set up on State Street for the Madison Night Market. It was absolutely freezing but it was worth it. The night market was a good end of the year event.

I took a few days for me and had a little girls trip up north. We stayed up in Clam Lake in the hopes of maybe seeing some elk but had no luck. We went hiking through the snow to see some gorgeous waterfalls and drove up to Ashland for a day of walking the streets eating delicious food and shopping. Back at our room we were constantly watching classic cartoons like Tom and Jerry or Scooby Doo while painting.

As to what I was able to create last month I was able to create more illustrations for the Classy Bitches series. I'm actually almost done wrapping up the series. I also recently discovered the canva app so I've been having some fun setting up fun little displays like this one.

I also designed a few goodies for my subscribers on Patreon. A sticker to celebrate the end of 2021, a card to celebrate the new year and a coloring page to celebrate the holidays.

Lastly, I got to work on my portfolio project more. I've only got 2 more pages to add color to. I'm so close! After I finish it I will finally get to start reaching out to agents and publishers in the hope of someone wanting to represent me and/or hire me to illustrate books for them. Fingers crossed it works out. :D

I've got big plans for the business this year. I am so excited we are looking for a van for the business. A van will allow us to more comfortably travel to and from events and will give us more space for new products.

I had a ton of fun last year making stickers and pins and I want to make many more of those too. I especially want to start creating more items and designs based on issues seen as more controversial; women's rights, climate change and etc.

I have a book idea I want to start writing and illustrating. The idea has been in my head for months and I'm finally at a point where I could start it.

Of course I plan to create more cards and more illustrations. I have many ideas for several illustration series, they mostly revolve around nature. I've got plans for a new Wisconsin card set too. Overall I am super excited to see what I can accomplish this year.

I'm excited to see what this year brings. 2020 sucked and 2021 wasn't the best either, but it was at least a step in the right direction. I've got big plans and nothing is going to stop me. :)