Highs, Lows and Everything in Between

The 2024 Final Countdown

That post title? Sorry if this song is stuck looping in your head.

As an oldest child and a Myers-Briggs INFJ, my brain is built for in-depth analysis. So end of the year recaps? Absolute catnip for me.

Over-thinking is bad. But a healthy curiosity about what works and doesn’t is essential, particularly in any kind of creative work. So in that vein, here’s what went well in 2024, what just was and what was a hard no.

Nope. Do not collect $200, do not pass go.

• Natural Dyes. The picture above? That was an absolute flop, which is kind of funny, because it’s one of my favorite snapshots of 2024. Attempts at making natural dyes and inks went laughably wrong. I ended up with a science fair experiment, an explosion of mold (quite possibly a high-test antibiotic). I tried again later in the fall with acorn ink. The house smelt amazing as the nuts boiled away for hours. The aroma conjured visions of squirrels in stiff-starched aprons, stirring acorn soup in their oak tree homes while rain pelted down outside. But the results were not that romantic and just…okay. So back to the drawing board on natural inks. I have a Pinterest board with natural dye ideas over here.

• Early Bird-ing. Getting up at 5:00 AM to pursue personal projects, read, study, drink coffee. I wanted this to work. And it didn’t. I think my error was in attempting this every weekday, rather than choosing a manageable couple of days.

Okay. Sort of. Comme ci, comme ça.

• Let’s make comics. Or not. I started off the year armed with a graphic novel script and a tight schedule for pencils. An early page is pictured above. But as the winter progressed, I felt my approach to the story was wrong (more on that here). And admitting that wasn’t fun. I’d envisioned this project as a graphic novel forever and realizing that the format didn’t serve the story was frustrating. I felt like I’d lost valuable time, time that didn’t come freely. Feedback from family helped convince me, though, that it was worth the do over. I haven’t even had the guts to show it to anyone that I don’t share DNA with… So that’s where I’m at, poking along with a re-imagined book. I made substantial progress over the year, but didn’t finish the rough draft as hoped for. So that’s my goal for early 2025: finish a bad early draft.

• I didn’t miss any deadlines and finished projects right on schedule. This adult merit badge? I feel so seen. But I didn’t make a lot of headway with personal art. So win some, lose some.

Yeah! Jazz hands! “You go, Glen Coco!”

• I became far more intentional about the art I made. I got ruthless about priorities. Working a job outside the studio meant I became more efficient with my time. And that forced me to develop a laser focus on what mattered and what didn’t. And I think my work benefited from those constraints. I got better at saying no, also.

• As of this post, I’m about two weeks from finishing up the book project that’s absorbed most of my year. I have loved every minute of this and it’s been an absolute dream project. And what really lights me up is that the book marked a real shift for me stylistically. I can’t wait to share more on this in 2024.

• I took days off. I have worked more holidays that you can possibly imagine. Not Christmas or Easter, but almost always the random three day weekend sorts like Memorial Day, etc. But this year? If my schedule was free I took the day off. And it was 100% worth it.

2025? 2025!

• I’m not ready to think about the new year. December is the time for cheesy holiday bops and an epic quantity of Christmas cookies, not goal setting. But one thing I do know that I’d like to tackle in the near year is a more intentional use of this space. I’d like to do some more sketchbook prompts. Maybe short-form fiction? I have plans to to do a step by step process series about creating a faux bookcover. And downloads for subscribers are a priority, too.