Updates & Projects – September

I like to use those in my journal as well. Sometimes I never finish a thought. Anyway!

Happy Fall! The best perk of Colorado, YES the best, is Fall comes on time, if not early. Woo! In the South fall is a week in November, if we are lucky. So I love watching the changes and feeling the air turn crisp…its just so lovely.

 

Mid Year Goals

So What projects and things are getting done? Well to review my last post where I listed some Mid year goals and what I wanted to keep doing, here we go:

Consistent Branding (All needs to be Hello Shouho!) – So far so good. I need to update Facebook banner for sure, was on there yesterday and I was messing around with it too see what needed to be done and what could I update/do for it. I ended up linking the new Instagram and I still plan to put any new inserts on there. It needs a better focus, as I do so much @_@; it needs a focus without me having to have 3 Facebook accounts, so I am working on making it scream just the print shop – as well as link to Etsy. Not any physical products. If that make sense. 

Update Descriptions – I did not do this yet, however I still want to, for SEO purposes. 

Print all the sets (for Instagram) – I need to do this, but been having issues with computer, was actually going to print them at work, I just kinda forgot and got excited on what I was doing otherwise 😶

Start its own Instagram – Did this, now I need to spread the word and get it going, I just started it, so it has – one post. But I need to get it going and plan out some stuff for it. 

Post them all to Pinterest (so far so good) – Been keeping up, now I want to add all my physical designs there as well! 

Holiday/Monthly Sticker Book – Need to finish the layout idea, then get on it

Specific Style sets (specially designed)(kinda hard to explain) – Back burner to the holiday book, personally, but yes I still want to do it. 

Update All Months to include a blank option – I stopped doing updates to old sets, and instead offer them on all new ones. I left older sets up, but at the end of the year, I will be cleaning up My Etsy on anything that didn’t sell, or do well, etc and archiving them.

Remove Blogger(I want to re-purpose some of those post) – Did, looking through post still, I love keeping a diary and I want to try to figure out if I can download all those post and put them in my drive, for future keeping. 

Update all inserts with proper formats(to sell) – Eh, decided not to sell the current ones. I do want to make some more though, not sure what yet though. 

Create more Quotes and Such – Same as above, I want to create lots going forward! 

Update Redbubble, Maybe do another, Draw more, Update Packaging, Test out painting Wood Collection (which is what I am working on)

So, the above – have not updated Redbubble, but need to. Started drawing more again so good there. Been working on Packaging, still playing with ideas. Latest one was a crown backer card, which I am considering. Painted on wood, it was okay, working on some earrings hopefully soon and was playing with resin. Still playing with pieces and working on stuff, it’s always fun.

 

Yearly Goals

So, with that, lets review the yearly goals (and see how they evolved) as well. Just going to briefly touch on them:

Personal – could read more, joining a group became less fun to me (I am a hermit), handwriting is fluffy but I still struggle with the calligraphy letters. Otherwise feeling good about the goals I picked here.

Financial – Got a tablet and new computer. It’d not on here, but getting out of debt faster than hoped and looking great there.

Career – I feel pretty good on the Marketing stuff, it changes so fast so I want to stay up to date on that. Social wise, I can fake it well, but I just can’t make myself enjoy it. It sucks. I just can’t. So it is what it is. Freelance more, working on it and using DA as a portfolio I decided. I dress pretty chill. Fall is my outfit zone though – so I am covered there!

Health – annoyed I failed a health check for INS – but otherwise, in good health and doing well. Spirit health wise, house is pretty harmonious. We split rooms again, just what is best for us, we just are too different in too many bedroom ways. Lot’s of mutual love though, just better sleep.

Friends – Couldn’t get friend to confirm a cruise with me, she is just too spacey I think. It happens. Still love her. Planning another trip home this next month probably, most likely, to see the new house mother bought. We put off Disney this year in favor of money saving, but planning for early next year. Fingers crossed. As for memory keeping doing a good job of logging daily and writing a lot this year, so far. Wanted to do a picture a day, but it just didn’t work out to be that interesting in life. I also want the HP Sprocket now.

Last Year – Debt, amazingly well here. Have more than a $1000 saved in emergency for us and we are hoping to invest some in a flip with company. It’s AUG and I have not lost as much as I want but started walking at the new office – free gym – so I feel good there. I am doing okay on side hustle. Had a few bad weeks there, but I think it was because I was not updating on staying active. I feel like if I am active I get more hits, of course I do, it makes sense, so working on it.

Other items – just skipping over the print items and such. As for Blog I do not know why I struggled so hard to make it work, but it is what it is. I think I am going to keep it simple and focus on what is working for me and what I enjoy the most.

 

Current Focus

So, yes I think that is plenty of Goals. I set some minor ones during the end of the month as well, such as get oil changed, etc – but overall I try to keep true to the ones I set at the start of the year. I don’t want to make any new goals, just wrap up as many as I can this last quarter. Can you believe it’s already September! Man time flies.

So starting this week, and I will let you know if it sucks or fails for me, I decided to use each day as a focus point. Each day I labeled for specific projects. The hope being the structure will A. – all the random inspiration I get during day will be put off and I will be more excited to something done when that day comes by and B. – structure my days a little better so even if I only do a few things, at the end of it I can say I got X done today for X project/goal. I know myself, and myself needs the structure.

Here is my current layout:

Sunday – Originally had this as website day, but moved it as Sunday’s I really want to focus on family time and activities together. On the occasions we don’t do anything, I can call this a catch up day.

Monday – Website(s) Updates – so, this site any updates. DA any updates, general text and admin updates over on Etsy. Kinda an admin day. I did this as I typically Meal Prep on Monday, so this allows me the freedom of not really being in an ‘art zone’ and looking up from computer and its 10 PM. Which happens.

Tuesday – Animal Adopts. I want to practice animals this day. So focus will be getting better, doing animal OCs, adopts and Gaia would fall into this I would think (B/C wise).

Wednesday – Merch Day. So packaging, ordering and setting up files, trying out new designs, etc I want to make more physical things still so this is today’s focus.

Thursday – People Adopts. Want to get better at people too, so today focus on people art. Adopts is how i like to practice, rando designs for small sell. Its been forever so I am excited to start making things again.

Friday – Redbubble. I need to get this going. Seriously. I’ve made a billion designs that are not on here and I need to get them on here. So for now, this is today’s goals.

Saturday – Etsy Stickers. I have the most time to be focused on Saturday so I wanted to devote it to the thing I like and make the best of. Stickers! I am excited for this week as I have a ton of ideas I want to do,  as I just moved into the recollection planner and I want to design some functional stickers for it.

TLDR Version

Trying out a project theme for each day to get more done on each project.

Muwhaha. See already getting more inspired by having to wait. I think by spending a few hours on each of these areas, more if I am really into it, will help me focus on them and accomplish more. It of course is just a guide line, but I have high hopes for it.

This is a very long update, but as always I hope what I am doing – rather I succeed or fail, helps in someway to something you are thinking of doing or trying.

Side note – site is updated, if you haven’t been here. I need to make the front different too – but working on it. For now I moved the free things to easier access and added some clickable links. blog is not the first page anymore either.

Thanks