2018 in Review: My Successes AND Failures as a Creative Director
This week, I thought I'd switch up the usual routine and give a little review of 2018 and my first *full* year of running my business as a creative director and what my goals are for 2019. It's been an exciting year abound with some amazing opportunities, but it's also been a year of some hard lessons!
Let's get to it!
Successes
I got to work with some big clients this year, such as Almay, Benefit Cosmetics, Pocky, Fruit by the Foot, and another one that I can't quiteee say yet! I also had the opportunity to create work with some amazing start ups, such as Cosaki Club and Simple Health. Nothing brings me more joy than working with wonderful companies who care about making a difference in this world.
I also started doing video work for some clients and I'm excited to continue to explore that some more in the upcoming year.Client work aside, I also got my shop up and running! I've designed some enamel pins inspired by some of my photo work, and also launched a photo store. To help make storage for pin packaging and props, I also switched my office and studio space. There was a lot of unused space in my then-office and knew I could utilize it best to produce bigger and better work.
Oh, and I started this blog! I've had a lot of people comment and tell me how helpful it's been (here's this year's most popular post) and couldn't be happier to hear that. I also got serious on my Pinterest game and have driven lots traffic to my site (which beforehand was non-existent) thanks to my content creation/Pinterest efforts. I'm happy to have created this community here and look forward on building it more in the new year.
I can't wait to see what opportunities will arise next year and discover some more amazing businesses.
Failures
The word "failures" sounds a bit harsh, but I feel it's important to recognize both our successes and failures, or else we can't improve on ourselves.
This year, I'd say the biggest mistake I've made was working too much. I'd love to make more time for family and friends (and a social life in general!)
It's not that I'm bad at managing time—I do a decent job at sticking to my schedule—it's that I set aside too much time for work, ha. I've learned that I'm a bit of a workaholic because I absolutely LOVE what I do, and perhaps it's to a fault. I never realized that I set aside too much time, 12 hour days just became the norm and working less than that felt strange.In the new year, I'm going to focus on taking less projects on at one time, especially around the holidays.
If there's a saving grace in this failure, it's that I now know how to work even more quickly and efficiently—so not all is at a loss ;)
New things!
I'm looking to upgrade some lenses and mayyyybe even my camera. I'd also like to explore the world of paid advertising and continue to grow my client base so I can HIRE someone! Even if that's not until after 2019, I'd like to start creating that strong foundation now.
I'd also like to begin an e-course/workshop on a topic later in the year—though I'm not entirely sure what that may be yet—and continue to add to my shop.
There's so much I'm looking forward to in 2019 and can't wait to begin! Thanks for joining me on this journey.
