2024 sucked. Here's how I'm making 2025 better 👋
2024 wasn't great so I'm rethinking how I approach art. I'm sharing my new illustration/career goals for 2025 👋
So… 2024 sucked. Like seriously.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen so many amazing artists posting all the wonderful things that happened to them in 2024. And I get this feeling, a pang of jealousy. Sigh, call me bitter. I love that these wonderful people can share their achievements and happy moments, but secretly I want to wallow in misery with anyone else who had a sucky year.
My 2024 was tarnished with health issues. Fatigue, muscle pain, and sadness thanks to ill health led me to be stuck in bed for most of the summer. I visited one of my best friends in Seattle for her bachelorette party (it was a ton of fun, even being ill) but after flying back, I was past exhaustion.
In the back of my mind, I wondered if I could continue running my own illustration business or if it was going to be too much moving forward. It was defeating. How could I encourage others to follow their artistic dreams if I couldn’t even get a handle on my own?
Not to say that good things DIDN’T happen in 2024. These are some of the GREAT things that did happen:
Who’s in Charge, written by the wonderful Stephanie Allain and Jenny Klion and illustrated by me, came out!
Troop Esme, written by the amazing Lourdes Heuer and illustrated by me, and the second book in the Esme series, came out!
An illustration that I created for Who’s in Charge was selected to be in the Society of Illustrator’s Original Art Show.
I finished two picture books and started work on other book projects.
I sewed a skirt, a wrap dress, and a pair of pants that are pretty styling.
So many cool people came into my life through picture book retreats, podcasts, and social media.
I FINALLY passed my UK driving test and WOW that was difficult! The UK roads are obviously built for carts and horses…
Luckily in the past couple of months, I’ve been able to make good progress with my health and have gotten back to a more regular working schedule. While I feel better than I have in years, I’ve concluded that my energy will always be lower than what it used to be when I first started my children’s book career.
When I used to be at 100% energy, I’m now at 50%. So I had to think: how can I use that lower energy level to still run my illustration business efficiently? So here I am, rethinking how I stay a children’s book illustrator in 2025.
Last year I planned on earning most of my income through my book illustration projects. But this year I’m trying to diversify so I can do more with the same amount of energy or less energy than I had in previous years (like by starting this Substack *cough cough*).
And I want to share these goals partially as an accountability thing for myself but also so you can get a taste of what it looks like to be a full-time children’s book illustrator!
Here are my career goals for 2025:
To create a simpler illustration style that allows me flexibility in finishing a book and to reduce my physical workload. While on the outside illustrating a book might not seem like a physical task, I often have a busted wrist at the end of illustrating books! It’s surprisingly time consuming and can be straining on your back, shoulder, and wrist muscles.
Does anyone else get the illustration aches and pains?To write and sell more of my own work to publishers as an author/illustrator. I’m stuffed full of ideas for books that I’ve been putting aside for a while. This year, I’m making them a priority.
Writing is a craft that I’ve fallen in love with and while it feels a bit wild, I’d even like to try and sell JUST manuscripts to publishers this year. Again, it feels wiiiiiiild as an illustrator to say, but I love writing and would love to take a leap and collaborate with an illustrator on a book.To focus on more teaching, mentoring, and creating educational material for authors and illustrators who want to work on their craft. Helping authors and illustrators move forward with their creative goals is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done the past four years, and you all have made it obvious that you’d like to hear more from me.
I can’t wait to share the knowledge I have and to learn from ya’ll as well. Please teach me things!To create and sell my surface design patterns on the print-on-demand site, Spoonflower. Last year, I tried sending my work to companies that could license my surface pattern designs. It was A LOT of work. And like I said, my energy cache was so low that I ended up not really having the time or space to constantly cold-email new companies.
So this year, while I still want surface pattern design to be a part of my income, I’m putting less pressure on myself by only selling my art through Spoonflower and seeing what comes from it. Which will also give me more time to spend creating fun new patterns! I call it a win-win 👍
If you’re interested, I’ll document the Spoonflower process on the VIP paid section of Substack and let you know how it goes 💛
All this to say, for me 2024 sucked, but I hope it didn’t for you. And I have the feeling that 2025 is going to be the year of creativity. How can you make that happen for your own creative practice?
Do you feel like you need to rethink the way you approach your art form this year?
What can you create with the energy levels you have?
Or are you happy with your art groove the way it is?
Here’s to the start of a great year together.
Hugs, Marissa 💛
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