Hello 2025

New Year's Greetings to you all! (Better late than never 😄)

January is almost over, and I’m just now sending you New Year’s greetings to you all now. But wait—today is Lunar New Year’s Day so I guess I’m not late after all. 😆 I hope this year brings you the chance to cross something off your bucket list or at least slow down and enjoy what you have already.

Growing up, our family always made New Year’s resolutions, though they felt more like an assignment from my parents than personal goals. Honestly, I rarely followed through on them. Over the past several years, I’ve used a specific format provided by the divorce support group I was a part of to reflect on the past year and set meaningful goals for the new one. The prompts helped me to dig deeper and learn a lot about myself. Since that process can be time-consuming, I’ve decided to streamline my reflection and goal-making this year, which aligns with my goal of simplifying my life. I’ll share some of my reflections and goals related to art here.

2024 Highlight

• Developed a daily sketchbook habit (Thanks to Adam Ming’s Substack!)

• Sent out queries to 15 agencies and 17 publishers

• Selected as a finalist for PBParty contest

• Wrote and illustrated my second picture book

• Launched a monthly Substack newsletter

• Completed 2 October drawing challenges (Check out my post about this! )

• Created a Space Coast Map

• Designed a new website and logo

• Experimented with traditional media

• Attended SCBWI virtual summer conference and workshops

• Participated in online drawing sessions and discussion groups (Art Gym, Illoguild)

2024 Challenges

• Received multiple rejections

• Struggled to find illustration gigs

• Felt Loneliness affecting my productivities

• Didn’t successfully rethink and rebrand my shop

2025 Goals

• Get representation

• Land a book deal

• Sketch every day (365 days)

• Write 18 Substack posts

• Complete 3 months of Illustration Mentorship

• Write and illustrate 2 new picture books

• Enter the PBParty contest again

• Hone skills in combining traditional and digital media

• Join a local artist guild and attend a life drawing sessions

• Take a local watercolor class

• Successfully rethink and rebrand my shop

• Send 40 queries to publishers

The theme of this year is to simplify my life and prioritize rest. I used to be a voracious reader, but it's been a while since I made time for books. This year, I’m setting a goal to read 12 books—one each month. Since my traumatic brain injury from a car accident four years ago, I've become more of an auditory learner, and I’ve found myself enjoying audiobooks. So far, I’ve finished four! Garden City by John Mark Comer and Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren have convinced me about the importance of rest.

In 2025, I'm committing to a day of rest every Sunday—no work, social media, emails, shopping, cooking, or worrying. I want to focus on activities that foster relaxation and bring joy and peace: spending time with friends, chatting with my family, playing the piano, painting, reading, taking baths, and enjoying nature.

I hope to have more energy and a better state of mind to tackle my art goals. 😊

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I’d love to hear the goals you’ve set for this year! If you”d like to share, drop them in the comment below—I’d love to read them!