Hey guys,
I originally wanted to write a little 2023 conclusion, and outlook into the new year during the holiday season. But then my whole family and me got sick, and I was low on both physical and mental energy for a couple days.
I'm back on track now, so I sat down this week and, with a little delay, thought about the goals I want to pursue this year. Also, I wanted to use this post to share the final artwork I made for Huawei with you. 😊 Hope you like it!
Looking back at a successful year
A quick sum-up of 2023 would be that it's been very successful career-wise. I've had lots of incredible projects, the financial side was very good, and I made more connections in the art world, especially through travelling to conventions for the first time. A big up for me was making the Lines book – I've been surprised how fulfilling this project actually was to me. Even though I could have made more money with the time I spent on making it, it felt great to just make such a product from scratch to finish.
The big issue for me is always: time, and not having enough of it. I'm constantly preaching to young artists to build multiple income streams, and to stay flexible on where and how to collect new learnings and make money. I'm experiencing the downside of that, because there's just too many options at the same time. 2023 had lots of very stressful periods for me, as I ran after to-dos all the time, while announcing the next thing already. I want to improve on that in the future, even for the sake of not being as productive on all ends at once.
Giving 2024 a headline
Playing my skill cards, the ability and longing to be a communicator, having visions – but also keeping a focus. Balancing these two side is the challenge. I don't know how I'll tackle it, but let's see what strategies come to mind in 2024. While this may be somehow unspecific, here's some more concrete goals I want to achieve this year:
1. There's never enough books in the world!
Let's start with the obvious: of course I want to make another book! Lines was just too much fun. I've got a very clear idea of what the next one could be, I'll most likely not make it alone, if it happens. But please stay put for a bit, until I can share more info.
My personal world has been so digital lately. Social media, NFTs, my art process is fully digital as well. The tactile feeling of a book, and the whole process of making it..I want to make that a constant part of my professional life!
2. A video course, and more educational content
With the creative industry moving ultra fast right now, and especially AI disrupting the whole thing on the fly, I wasn't sure about the future relevance of educational content for my way of creating art. However, I believe there's still lots of places where my knowledge is valuable to others, so I want to put a bigger eye on that this year.
I already announced that freelance course thing for Patreon some weeks ago. I want to make that one happen some time soon, by at least releasing a first couple articles. And then we'll see how that goes, and how you will like it, and if this format has a future.
But first comes something I'm really excited about. Something I've been pushing away all the time last year, because client projects and other things got in the way. I'm going to produce a big video course, explaining in detail how I make my art, giving insights into tech tips & tricks I use, probably covering topics around turning your art into money, and more! I wanted to do this for a longer while, but Skillshare, Domestika & Co. offer rather crappy deals to artists. So I'll do it on my own, starting right now!
3. Quo vadis, Social Media?
I'm still very sceptical about the current course that our beloved social media platforms take. Turning away from being community-centered, to a focus on content – fast-digestible throwaway clickbait content. I don't really want to accept it, from two points of view:
First is my personal view, I just find it sad that Instagram and Twitter are not the creative networking hubs they used to be. Second is my professional view, because those platforms have been part of my success – one piece of the puzzle of getting my work out there, being seen by clients and getting paid for my work.
This is not really a specific to-do or project I want to finish. It's a piece of mindset: I don't want to accept the course of things, I think there's still fun to be had as a community! And that's why I don't want to stop holding challenges and such, even if there's just 5 people taking part.
4. Developing my art style
If all goes as planned, I will also finish a couple of my personal art series this year. The most important ones being Japan Days and Curious Cabins, two series that helped me to further develop my style and storytelling skills in the last years.
With these series coming to an end, I thought about what I could do next. (The sketchbook is full of ideas, and of course I still want and need to create lots of pieces., so "what's next" more from a conceptual perspective). There's two things I'd like to try: make more art with a personal reference to my world of thought, maybe my personal struggles and challenges – something with a more emotional and intimate storytelling. And I want to improve how I use the overflowing grade of detail in my work to tell such stories in a more epic way. That sounds a bit vague and wild, but it's processing in my head, and I'm only able to express it like that right now. We'll see! This is more like a "second half of the year-goal" though.
5. Patreon
My Patreon is turning 2 years in a couple weeks, and I'd like to make some adjustments here as well. Maybe re-work the tier structure, work on the design here and there.
For anyone being a part of this for one year or longer at the time of the Patreon birthday, I have something special coming up! You'll receive a message, if that applies to you! 😊
---
That's it, and I think it's all manageable, and not too unrealistic. But I never know how much commissioned work will actually come in – it's one of the thrills of being a freelancer. Sometimes, you don't get any offers in 2 months..and then, suddenly the inbox is heating up hard. 😄
I can only promise you keep you up to date here, and I'm looking forward to an amazing year! Feel free to share your goals in the comments, and of course I'd love to help with any advice if I can!
CheersStefan