New year, new me and new goals?
Hello reader, and happiest of New Year to you all!
Every year end it always feels like so many people have had similar thoughts and experiences when sharing their year end recaps. Seeing all the memes, posts and other people's thoughts on social media for 2025 definitely makes me feel less bad about the year I had, since it seems like everyone else had a similar year to me.
To me, 2025 felt like a slower year in terms of development and growth. Not just for my business but with a little bit of all aspects of my life. I like to think that this year was meant for me to slow down, observe, and take all of what I learned and apply it full force next year. Looking back at all that I accomplished in 2025, the list feels smaller than I hoped it to be. Sales were significantly down compared to opening year of 2024 for Little b, one collaboration opportunity fell through (but I secured a different one which will be revealed in the new year!), only designed 3 new diagrams, vended at two markets which were not the most successful, barely made time to create/experiment, and I definitely slacked with regards to social media and posting. With all of that being said, I am not viewing everything as negatively as it may come across. My ambitions may have been high, but instead I listened to myself and chose rest over burnout.
I never mentioned this publicly, but I was facing a potential lay-off for my full-time job during most of the year. My position was not secured until mid summer, so a lot of my focus this year had to pivot to my job that pays the bills. It is still my absolute dream to pursue my art work full time, but Little b Art Studio is not quite ready for that I realized. There are a lot of changes I need to slowly implement, which will set me up in the long run, but I anticipate these changes will take a significant amount of time (talking potential years).
In regards to the changes I need to make, I promise it is nothing with who I am or what Little b Art Studio is about! That will never change and if anything, I am excited to continue to grow and nurture what this brand is about. During 2025 I feel like I held back a lot and did not choose to challenge myself creatively. The initial spark I once had was dimmed, which led me feeling very unmotivated and scared to try new things. I played it very safe and as a result, I stayed exactly where I was, zero growth in terms of my audience or my creative abilities. After some much needed reflection, I realized where I went wrong and I am so ready to change that!
For the year of 2026, I want to experiment again, play around with different concepts and mediums, challenge myself and push to be better than I could ever imagine myself to me! It is time for me to truly let go of the notion in my head of being the "diagram girl" and become know beyond that. My scientific diagrams are the foundation of my brand, but I am ready to expand and push further, without the fear of losing people's attention.
On that note, I am ready to kickstart the year on a positive note. I hope to inspire you, reader, as well and challenge you to step out of your comfort zone; even if it is a baby step. I am excited to show you all what I have planned for 2026, and I feel more ready than ever to start creating again! Thank you for taking the time to read my silly little blog, wishing you the best start to 2026!
~ b