I’ve always had a love+hate relationship with my art. Self-doubt is my arch nemesis. Am I good enough? Will I ever be? Do I have anything to offer? We creative folk are often our own worst critics. All of those doubts had me shelving my art for a good decade. It wasn’t until I went back to school for Graphic Design that I started doing any again and that was only for assigned projects. I enjoyed it. I missed it. After school, I started freelancing. For me, that involves little to no actual artwork. I became so focused on the hustle for that, that art got back burnered again…and again…and again.

I’d have sporadic bursts of inspiration that produced some doodles in a sketchbook, but that was usually about it. One year I even had an exhibition at a gallery in Portland. I never seemed to get very much time to hone skills and try new things, though, because it was always squeezed in between design projects…until it wasn’t.

I’ve still been in a constant state of hustle to keep my freelance career going. Freelancing is not easy. I work more now than I ever have because I don’t just get to design projects from 9-5 and then call it a day. No. I don’t get to always have weekends or holidays off. Even if I do get projects done at a normal hour, I still have to be my own admin, accounting, tech support, janitor, marketing, social media expert…you get the point. That’s entrepreneurship, though, right? We’re a different sort of animal. We’re daydream believers and monster chasers. We don’t have an off button and our pause button is tricky to find. I want things for my life, for my career, that I’m now refusing to put on the back burner. It’s time to hustle harder than I ever have.

Short Term Studio Goals.¹

  • Full scale rebrand  |  Due: December 1st, 2017  |  Completed: November 24th, 2017
  • Etsy shop  | Due: March 2nd, 2018  March 1st, 2019 |  Completed: …?
  • 1000 Instagram followers  |  Due: June 1st, 2018  June 3rd, 2019|  Completed: …?

I’m sharing these goals here as a form of accountability, but also to motivate even one other person to chase their dreams and make a plan.² Set goals, with achievable due dates, and then make it happen. No excuses. Hustle Harder.

¹ Because…”A goal without a plan is just a wish.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
² Because…”Dreams without goals remain dreams, just dreams, and ultimately fuel disappointment. Goals on the road to achievement cannot be achieved without discipline and consistency,” -Denzel Washington