As 2017 comes to an end I thought I would reflect on the goals I would like to achieve in 2018. I decided I wanted a manageable amount of resolutions to have a better chance of completing them all so here are 5 resolutions I want to achieve in 2018 and beyond.
Let’s get started!
Improve My Pattern Design Skills
One thing I want to do in the new year is to grow my Illustrator skills. I am not great at shading and adding detail to my patterns so that is something I want to focus on. I also want to try using new mediums to create patterns like gouache and watercolor.
Increase Viewership to My Blog
Right now my blog gets anywhere from 10 to 30 viewers a day so I would like to work on increasing viewership to my blog. I can do this by focusing on writing better articles, redesigning my website to make it more reader-friendly, and spending more time on social media and other promotional opportunities. My goal is to increase my blogs’ viewership to about 10,000 views a month, however, I would be happy with a few hundred more views a month.
Guest Blog More
I wrote a guest blog for a website that was published in September and as soon as it was shared on the websites’ Instagram page, the traffic for that day was higher than it had ever been. I would like to do more of that and eventually have people guest blog on my website.
Find a Mentor/Business Partner
The last two resolutions are major life goals which I will likely be working towards for a long time. I want to turn my blog into a business where I can eventually sell my designs, but I don’t want to do it alone. There is a lot I still need to learn about Adobe Illustrator which I hope a mentor can teach me and I would also like to have someone to lean on for constructive criticism on my designs and blog posts.
Open a Shop or Online Store
This was never a dream of mine until I started learning surface pattern design and now it is all I can think about. We have this small furniture/home shop by our house and we got to talk to the owners about how they have a room in the back where they get to experiment with paint and stain to make the furniture their own. I desperately want that type of environment where I can experiment with different mediums for my patterns in my own studio or store and eventually sell my designs on products.
I definitely want to revisit these resolutions at the end of 2018 to see how many I was able to complete so stay tuned for that. What are some of your New Year’s resolutions for 2018?
Eileen McKenna
Hi Kelcie,
I love your resolutions! My blog started as a Resolution to be more creative. Creating repeating patterns is a passion of mine. I’ve written instructional posts about it if you need: https://mycreativeresolution.com/2017/09/21/sunflower-fabric-print-for-fall/
I like the flat style of your illustrations, but if you want to make them more 3D try gradients. Like the handle of the paint brush could be a gradient from gray to light gray or white to gray. Another thing I was playing around with was drawing in illustrator app (Adobe Sketch) with a stylus. Things look less computery.
One way to boost your stats is to pin and repin images from your posts. I wrote a blog post about this on my other blog if you want me to send you the link. Also through PayPal you can create a free online store with Ecwid, which is great when you are staring out to avoid extra costs. Hope this helps!
Kelcie Makes Patterns
Hey Eileen,
Sorry I did not get back to you sooner. I was in stress mode and did not have time to sit down and write a response to this. Thank you for all of the great advice. I have used gradients before but I tend to gravitate towards either flat design or designs that were made using watercolor or gouache which is why I want to learn to paint. I know you paint a lot of your designs. Do you have any suggestions on how I could go about learning watercolor or gouache? Also, I would love to read the blog post about pinning and repinning images from your posts.