I failed nearly all anyway. Some resolutions were vague enough that I could wiggle my way into seeing them as success stories, but that wouldn’t be honest to myself or you.
2025 was a nothing year for me and many people. If you had a whirlwind successful guns blazing year, I’m so happy for you. You can leave. Everyone else who wants to reflect on the year we all just treaded water, let’s continue to tread water though the last couple weeks together. It wasn’t a bad year! I’m not complaining! Genuinely, I’m an optimist, and I don’t really believe in whole bad years because I try not to let bad things hold me back from trying my best. As long as I’m still kicking and still have love in my life, then how bad can it really be?
But it wasn’t a year where I found textbook success. At least, not by the metric of these goals.
I had a lot of goals for 2025, and none of them came to fruition. It’s the first time in a while my annual goals have been so thoroughly wrecked. Maybe it was a combination of aiming too high and the current climate in this country, but whatever the reason, here’s all the goals I fell short of this year:
1- Starting a new trad pub project
I’m actually very okay with this not happening right away, because it gave me the time to breathe. I needed to relax after finishing How Could You. I needed to recenter and think about my art practice and what is important and true to me. Plus, trad pub is exhausting.
By not achieving this goal, this year also gave me time to realize I wanted to work on a project with Jessie. Now we’re at the end of the year and putting together a pitch for something I actually really really really give a shit about. It’s going to be the best book that has ever been made.
2- Volunteering outdoors
This one disappoints me. I didn’t get outside much at all this year, let alone volunteering. I missed our annual group camp trip, I went to the river for one short afternoon, I didn’t go on many hikes. I was traveling too much! I was getting my back tattooed all summer! I was covering a lot of shifts at the print shop! En started a new job and was working six days a week, too! Which means I didn’t have access to the car for half the week anyway, even if I weren’t working.
The structure of volunteer opportunities, especially outdoorsy ones where obviously you have to commute, was in conflict with the constant ebb and flow of my availability as someone who is self-employed, travelling, working a side gig, etc. I think I have an idea of how to work around this for next year, though. I won’t share it here because I fear if I do, I won’t follow through, but if it happens and I like it, I’ll tell you later.
As for getting outside generally next year, I think my little group of campers will be taking a hiatus on camping because there will be a lot of weddings this coming year and the following one. But I’ll be going to Alaska Comics Camp, which is PERFECT. The right combination of work and play for me. Of the warm months, I’m not traveling for June or September, so I think I’ll be able to get outside more.
3- Pay off my credit card
I’m just going to have to accept an ebb and flow of credit card debt as part of life for this job. I can’t just whip out $2000 to reorder books. I’ll give myself half credit in that I made a great plan of attack for my debt, and it feels manageable and normal. I’m not sweating it. My card isn’t maxed out anymore, and that’s what matters. And again, it’s all business expense debt. I’m not being silly.
That said…
4- Earn a living wage via art
This was maybe entirely too ambitious for me, and given the economy and how downtrodden we all are, I am not surprised that it didn’t take off how I wanted it to. I’ll take the W in that I’m still here, and not doing worse than last year. Maybe next year will be better. I don’t mind where I’m at. A more realistic goal would be making a living wage via art in the next 4 years LOL
5- Learn Spanish
I’ll give myself half credit for this, as well. I took a Spanish class at my local Spanish language center! Unfortunately, it was too slow for me, and I got bored too easily. Coming from having majored in French in college, I already knew the building blocks of second language acquisition, and I just wanted to skip to verb conjugation. I think I have to try another class or recommit to self instruction and watching more things in Spanish language.
It’s exceptionally frustrating to be working in the print shop and trying to interact with someone who only speaks Spanish and all I can think of are French words!! So, okay, not a failed resolution because I did really try, and I’ll try again next year.
What did I do all year then?
Tried out new conventions/shows (awesome ones like TCAF and whatever ones like WonderCon) I got to try my hand at Anime Expo and NYCC (I really hope I can do NYCC again in 2026!)
Went to Toronto for the first time ever and got to meet friends from online!
First time being invited as a special guest to an event (FlameCon) which was so sweet and cool
Got my back tattooed and started filling out my arm more
Camped at the Ren Faire for the first time
Swam in Crater Lake before the trail down to the water closed
Talked at Powell’s and did book signings for How Could You! My name… in lights??
Ran a successful preorder campaign for The Shepherd’s Sword, Volume 1
Worked on TWO Nova Mali projects this autumn
Started socializing more in town and saying yes to events more <3
A secret final thing, iykyk, and iydk then ywk spring 2026
2026, what are we going to do?
Here’s my updated goals list for 2026. Some are financial, some are outdoorsy, and some are just about my day to day.
Pay off the balance transfer card and close it.
Get all my baseline living expenses covered by Patreon income. I’m so close, I really think I could make it happen in 2026!
Start saving money lol (especially my emergency savings)
Camp at least twice
Hike at least 4 long hikes
[redacted volunteering idea that I don’t want to jinx by typing it here, but it’s on my wall]
Practice conversational Spanish, especially print shop related vocabulary
Keep working on comics!
That last goal is vague on purpose. For comic/book/zine/illustration projects, I think the things I’m working on are unfolding just fine in their own time. I won’t put annual pressure on my creative work to tick it off a checklist. I had some project-related goals on last year’s list, and to be honest, sometimes it’s really not up to me. It’s up to my inspiration. I’ll just keep going with my process and let my heart guide me!
What about you? Have you started thinking about your goals yet or reflecting on your resolutions? Let me know!