Happy New Year 2018!

Happy New Year!

2017 was overall the best year I can remember!  It was incredibly busy and full of exciting changes and built the foundation of the stable and happy life I feel I have today.  I have never been more grounded or determined (and I finally have a studio space within my home)!  I am excited to see where I can go from here!

So this brings me to my thoughts and hopes for 2018. 

I am not exactly a writer, nor do I have any experience blogging or even journaling, but hopefully I can keep up with a monthly blog / newsletter over the next year that documents my experiences as a budding freelance illustrator and my artistic endeavors.  Down the line, I'd like to see this become a resource for others with the same pursuits and an archive of my process separate from my web portfolio (which can be found at www.Rachel-Perciphone.com)

I have a total of three planners for the next year.... I don't need that many.  I have a larger one, with more room for writing things down, a travel-friendly sized one, and one from a Kickstarter I supported that seems really cool, but also isn't what I need so I am thinking of using that as some sort of dream journal.  I don't know.  But the important thing is that I aim to be much more organized and goal-oriented this year!  I've always kept planners, but this year I want to have a more routine presence on social media and to maintain better daily habits, so keeping a schedule will be ever more important than just meeting deadlines and keeping track of conventions, appointments, etc.

I spent the last year riding the waves of change and adjusting to a very new life for myself.  In preparation for what I hope to be a fruitful new year, I spent 2017 practicing and reading and absorbing all kinds of information related to habits, artistic practices, other artists' blogs, social media statistics, etc... and putting into effect some new habits early.  Who needs "New Year Resolutions"? Start today!   JUST DO IT!  :P 

Here are my personal goals for the new year:

• Work out at least 3 days every week (4 weeks strong so far!)
• Floss (seriously.)
• Draw or sketch for an hour 3 nights during each week
• Commit to at least 6 hours of working on art outside of sketching per week.  Whether that means working on freelance, or doing research for the next project, etc... (I'm keeping this number small.  I'd really like to see at least 8, but I'm giving myself a bit of a cushion. Baby steps!)
• Read every week.
• Post to social media twice every week (Instagoals of 1000 followers)

These goals should help contribute to my overall goals of expanding my social media presence on Instagram (building a following), finding my artistic voice (or head in that direction), and create more portfolio pieces.  I'd like this year to be an exploratory one, to prepare for a future year focused more on career building. 

With that, I'll sign off for now because it's New Years Day as I type this last sentence!  I've got work to do!

Happy New Year 2018!

Get Ready, Set Goals, Go!

(my motto for the new year)