Remembering 2017 + 2018 Goals

Well, here we are, peeps. 2018. I am still having a hard time believing it! As I was looking at past blog posts, I could see how things have started to change for the Cozy Reverie brand. It's still very weird for me to talk about it as a brand, but that's what it is. I have always been a bit of a scatterbrain when it comes to my creative projects, so to see that my focus is actually starting to narrow down is really exciting for me! 

Below is a quick slideshow of my favorite moments:

Last month, I reread my goals from last year, and am pleasantly surprised to see that I had actually focused on them in 2017. I have never really done that before so that is a big WIN!

1. Slow-blogging
My blog turned into a weekly blog (I used to stress about posting at least three times a week). This was a huge relief and made the creative process much more fun! This also allowed for more collaborations with brands that I really love. I'm going to slow it down even more this year. Some weeks, I found myself posting just to post, and I've realized that's just busy work. I want to save that energy for my more ambitious projects!
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2. Brand Focus
While I kept my shops with Redbubble and Spoonflower, I focused on my Etsy shop, which has made a huge difference in my time management and my bank account. It has even helped pay my kid's school tuition. That has never happened before! I plan on sticking to brand focus this year and possibly narrowing it down even more. It's time to finally create a brand narrative (that sounded so business-y, huh? Totes professh).

3. Less Overwhelm
DIY posts were supposed to go lower on my priority list, but DIY is such a big part of my life and I decided to accept my love of making. I even added a Disney-inspired DIY section to the A Waltz Through Disney site where my husband and I fan-blog weekly. However, this still causes a little bit of overwhelm, so I'm hoping to save my DIY posts to the fan blog only. 

4. Be Brave
For me, 2017 was "The Year of the Brave". I went to my first Alt Summit this year, which is a BIG deal for an ex-extrovert, now-introvert gal. Marketing myself has always been a challenge and still is, but I'm determined to keep learning and put myself out there. I will be attending the Alt Together this year, mainly because I need to be home for the boys, but I'm excited to attend again. 

I also tried a new venture that didn't work out as well as I had hoped. That was a tough pill to swallow, but it just goes to show that as creatives, we are constantly learning. You've just got to keep moving forward and not dwell too much on the past.
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5. Reach Goal Weight by June 2017
Okay, this one did NOT happen. However, my new day job has created a much more active lifestyle for me, so all I need to commit to is a healthier eating plan. This requires a trip to my nutritionist to see how I can reach this goal, so I won't bore you with any of those details - haha!

Looking forward to 2018

While I still want to focus on the above, there is one very big goal I will be working on in 2018: making Cozy Reverie a full-time career. Now, I know this won't happen overnight. It might not even happen fully this year, but I definitely want to try.
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Since 2013, I have been floating through the murky waters of blogging, freelance art, and content creation. It wasn't until 2016 that I truly realized how much I love designing textiles, specifically greeting cards. It is not easy; in fact, it's scary hard. Some weeks are better than others, and being a small business brings along a whole set of tasks that I am not good at (i.e. accounting, paperwork, answering emails, etc.). Still, becoming my own boss is something I had never even considered before, so knowing that it is a possibility, I have got to give it a shot.

​If you follow my Instastories, you might have seen my announcement about discontinuing the printable files in the shop. The shop will only have physical cards now, but my wonderful patrons will still receive printable cards each month. For just $1 a month, you can get printable cards too! That's an even better deal that the shop and you will help fund my current projects (like my 12-book series!). Many thanks to my wonderful patrons for supporting my art and my scatterbrain!

Well, there you have it! My lovely 2017 wrapped up in a bow. Thank you so much for actually reading this post - that makes you a rock star. I know I thank you guys all the time, but I totally mean it. I hope to bring you more joy and color this year, so I hope you'll stick around!

xoxo
~Amy