2022 recap
Lessons, stats & milestones from one year as a brand designer & small business owner
2022 has been a transformational year for me. Not only as a creative but as a person.
I feel like I’ve found my purpose.
I’ve always been a creative person, that one with multiple interests & passions. This year, all of that seemed to align when I found brand design.
It wasn’t all fun & there were times I didn’t feel cut out for it, but those fears quickly went away when I realized there was simply nothing else I wanted to do.
This year started with a motivation to learn graphic design & ended with a drive to do even more.
I’m so excited about what’s to come in 2023, but let’s take a look back at 2022.
STATS
Clients onboarded: 10
Design books read: 8
Instagram friends gained: 15.2k ❤
Passion projects designed: 42
Blog posts written: 25
Rebrands: 3 (we got there eventually)
MILESTONES
JANUARY: Started my design Instagram!
FEBRUARY: Got my first design gig from Upwork.
MARCH: Set up my brand packages & hit 1k followers!
APRIL: Won a design brief challenge & got some clients from Instagram!
MAY: Got over my fear of Zoom calls & started the blog.
JUNE: Started creating templates & did a little rebrand.
JULY: Joined Pinterest Rewards & started posting on TikTok!
AUGUST: New website with Squarespace & 1k on TikTok!
SEPTEMBER: Started working on the big rebrand, collaborating with The TMRW Collective!
OCTOBER: Launched balncd design!
NOVEMBER: Work slowed but I started feeling burnt out & decided to take a break from social media for the rest of the year.
DECEMBER: Read a lot, did other creative work- feeling rested & refreshed- ready for 2023!!
LESSONS
Followers do not equal clients- but make all the connections anyway.
Growing a business on social media makes you feel like you need to be online & active 24/7- you don’t. Breaks are necessary.
You also do not need to apologize for missing a post or not being active on social media lately. Go easy on yourself- no one will even notice & if they do, they’ll be glad you are taking time for yourself.
It's okay to say no to projects. The feeling of being aligned with a client is a much better feeling than getting paid by a client you do not align with.
Twitter is a great place to learn & network.
Look for inspiration everywhere you go- not just online. Especially not just from your design peers. Look to history & pay attention to details.
Think & plan ahead, but don’t wait forever. Start now.
This year was full of lessons & learning experiences & I don’t think that will change in the new year.
I’m excited to grow my skills & business this year & I can’t thank you all enough for being a part of the journey!! :)
