Happy new year!!

​Hi Friends!! Happy New Year! How are you? I still can’t believe it’s already the first day of 2022!

2021 has been a year filled with adventures and challenges! I started freelancing in 2020 during the pandemic, but the last year was officially my first year as a full-time artist. Ditching the security of a day job during the pandemic, for something so uncertain was such a scary step. Coming from a non-business background, learning so many things from scratch, like taxes and legal stuff, was honestly hard and scary at times, since I really had no idea what I was doing.

But I’ve been working hard and I’m finally starting to figure out some of the important things, like turning in taxes, the materials and supplies for my products and how to price my art.

When I was wrapping up 2021 on my journal a few days ago and wrote down all the goals I’ve accomplished, I was actually surprised when I noticed how productive I was and how much I’ve created. I didn't realize how much I was working throughout the year, no wonder I was needing a serious break in December ahaha!

Looking at accomplished goals is nice, but the most important was all the things that I’ve learned and want to keep in mind for 2022:

• I still have the 9 to 6 mindset, even though I’m a freelancer, and I’ve noticed how I’ve been neglecting my free time and hobbies during last year. For 2022 I want to have a different weekly schedule, where I work until 6 on some days and other days I finish working earlier. I’m hoping to find a better balance this way and focus on other stuff besides making art, like knitting, reading, exercising, or just exploring new hobbies. I’ll let you know if things work out for me!
• I finally learned that I don’t need to post every day on social media to have an interested community . For 2022 I want to provide more value to those of you who follow me, and not post only for the algorithms
• And finally I’m hoping to work on shop updates a few months ahead. Just because last Autumn and Winter shop updates were so stressful, since I was doing a lot of stuff very close to the date

I also have a lot of projects and goals that I want to start in 2022, but I'll keep those a secret for now, just because I know I'll procrastinate if I just share them with the world! But for now I can say I want to share more art tips and let you have a closer look at my work and characters, and there'll be a surprise in May!

I want to start 2022 by thank YOU, because my art adventures wouldn't be possible without your amazing support! I'm thrilled for a fresh start and to meet you all again!

​Wishing you the best and a toast to a Happy New Year!

Stay cosy,
Inês