When is it too late to wish people a Happy New Year?
The answer is NEVER - Hello all, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
With January well and truly under way, it’s time to get back into the swing of things - and in the spirit of the fresh slate that is January, I’ve been thinking about some intentions and goals for the new year. I’ve also been spending some time reflecting on what happened in the year that’s just passed (and recovering from all the cheese and wine during the festive period).
A party is in full swing, with wine flowing and a bountiful spread of food. Party guests are spread around the large table with a blue checkered tablecloth, they’re chatting and laughing and some one is pouring themselves a glass of red wine in the corner.
2024 was a year of huge, exciting changes for me - at the start of 2024 I was working a job that, although I wasn’t finding fulfilling or fun, it was comfortable and I loved my colleagues. I was living in a city I loved and knew well, surrounded by close friends, and I was even enrolled on a Masters course. By the end of 2024, we’d packed up all our stuff and moved to Edinburgh, I’d paused my Masters to go freelance and started embracing a new life by the sea!
I find my work as an illustrator so much more fulfilling than any job I’ve ever done before, it is the first time that i’ve worked in a role that feels so authentically me. I love what I do, and it’s just as well because freelancing is no joke - it’s incredibly hard work, and can be (high key) stressful.
An abundant, brightly coloured fruit bowl is overflowing, the text above it reads ‘wishing you abundance’ (cos I am).
2024 shook up my world, and unveiled new paths for me that I could never have dreamed of. It was my year of new starts and scary big fun adventures, and I hope that 2025 is the year of building on the abundance of opportunity I was gifted in 2024.
So now for the good stuff, THE GOALS (insert whooping and cheering here).
My business goals for the new year are to continue building lovely working relationships with my fantastic regular clients, as well as reaching new ones, to grow my audience a little bit (that’s you lovely bunch - thanks for being here, I appreciate you) and to continue learning and growing. My artistic goals are to get into my sketchbook more, to meet more creatives and grow my creative community and to get more comfortable showing my work off.
A snippet of work from Ysabel’s sketchbook shows a messy work bench and a playful still life with pink and white flowers.
As always - thanks so much for reading and being here, your support means so much to me. If you have any suggestions about what you’d like to read me yap about please let me know - I’d love to hear from you!
Wishing you all the good things in the new year,
<3 Ysabel