Damn, what a year that was.
In January 2021, I remember, there was so much hope and motivation everywhere.
We all thought the big pandemic year was over and everything would only go upward from here.
And yes, there were improvements!
But also huge disappointments.
We are all still adjusting to the "new normal" (which is not actually that new anymore).
But also huge disappointments.
We are all still adjusting to the "new normal" (which is not actually that new anymore).
On top of that, each of us had our own personal challenges to overcome.
But here we all are! 💪🏽
A new year has begun, and we made it. That's always a reason to celebrate.🤗🎉
But here we all are! 💪🏽
A new year has begun, and we made it. That's always a reason to celebrate.🤗🎉
Let's remember how far we've come, how much we've learned and let's keep up the good spirits. 😉🌈
Let's just cut our losses and get ready to make 2022 a super awesome year!
Want some help with preparing for this new year and its amazing opportunities?
Download this 2022 printable wall calendar ➡
photo by Branden Harvey at Unsplash
Start with positivity
To get in the right mood and start strong into 2022 I suggest looking back on all that was great last year. It's a fun exercise and I'm sure you'll have plenty of things on your list. Big or small, all count.
Here’s my quick list of positive things that 2021 brought:
🌊 Lots of time spent by the sea 💙
🛒 Launched 2 online shops!
➡ art prints: Tiki’s Illustration
➡ printable planners: Tiki’s Templates
✍🏽 Got better at drawing with Procreate
🎯 Used my planner tools to figure out my new 5 year goals, including how to get there
(Doing that is so exciting and motivating!)
🎐 Made the brave decision to move back home for a while to make a fresh start
🤝🏽 Found a fun part-time job with an awesome small team of great people
🌈 Made some new friends and reconnected with my homies.
👍🏽 Did NOT get COVID! 💪🏽😷
🛒 Launched 2 online shops!
➡ art prints: Tiki’s Illustration
➡ printable planners: Tiki’s Templates
✍🏽 Got better at drawing with Procreate
🎯 Used my planner tools to figure out my new 5 year goals, including how to get there
(Doing that is so exciting and motivating!)
🎐 Made the brave decision to move back home for a while to make a fresh start
🤝🏽 Found a fun part-time job with an awesome small team of great people
🌈 Made some new friends and reconnected with my homies.
👍🏽 Did NOT get COVID! 💪🏽😷
Acknowledge your efforts even if there were setbacks
My big motivation to send out a regular newsletter was one of the things that didn't make it through 2021. There were simply too many more pressing matters to take care of.
So I chose to abandon it and bear the loss.
So I chose to abandon it and bear the loss.
The same goes for my 100-Days-of-TravelPosters Project, which only made it till day 12. 🙈
I felt really embarrassed at first! But you know,... I still created 12 really fun pieces of illustration, that I'm proud of. So why be ashamed and hide?
I tried. I failed my goal. But what I got from trying is still awesome.
I felt really embarrassed at first! But you know,... I still created 12 really fun pieces of illustration, that I'm proud of. So why be ashamed and hide?
I tried. I failed my goal. But what I got from trying is still awesome.
If we fail, it means we've tried. That's more than most people do!
Plus: every failed attempt and every loss teaches us a lesson. And if we listen to those teachings we have a great chance of getting it right next time.
Maybe our goals were aimed too high.
Maybe we didn't factor in all the distractions, traps and risks.
Maybe we simply lost interest in the goal.
Maybe we didn't factor in all the distractions, traps and risks.
Maybe we simply lost interest in the goal.
All of that is fine - and really normal.
Don't beat yourself up for not losing your Corona-kilos, for failing to meditate daily for 3 months, or for not reaching the next step on the career ladder yet.
Whatever you set out to do, and still really WANT to, just set that goal again. Look at what stopped you last year, see how you can prevent that from stopping you this time, prepare for roadblocks, and just try again. 💪🏽😎
Whatever you set out to do, and still really WANT to, just set that goal again. Look at what stopped you last year, see how you can prevent that from stopping you this time, prepare for roadblocks, and just try again. 💪🏽😎
Setting new goals
We all know about New Year's resolutions. And we all know that most of them are dropped before spring even started. That's often because we don't actually make a step-by-step plan - and schedule! - on how to get there.
In my next post I'll get more into the topic of how to properly set SMART goals.
In my next post I'll get more into the topic of how to properly set SMART goals.
For now, let me just list what's planned for my little Studio here this year:
🎯 Keep experimenting with illustration techniques till I finally reach a style that feels right, unique and expressive.
🎯 Continue the travel illustration series and start making that collection available as prints.
🎯 Create more planner templates to add to my shop at Tiki's Templates.
🎯 Find more freelance clients to create awesome projects with.
🎯 Share more helpful and inspiring stuff on social media and engage more with the community.
🎯 Start a proper blog that I want to fill with creative inspiration. I also want to share experiences and tips on how to stay sane as a creative freelancer and follow your passion & purpose in life.
Sounds a lot when I write it all down here.
But sharing this with you guys also makes it more real. In a good way, I hope this will motivate me and you're welcome to hold me accountable for achieving that list up there.
So that's it for now.
If you like to stay up-to-date about all that's going on with Studio Tiki and get insights even before I launch the blog later this year, click that button to subscribe to the newsletter - and get a little welcome gift in return.
🤗 Thanks for reading!
For comments, questions or critiques feel free to drop me a line here
