Saying that this blog thing got away from me would be the understatement of the year, even on January 3rd. It's been 11 months since I last checked in. It was a year ago today that I started working for myself full-time after quitting my job in education. I'm grateful that it was a successful and very busy year, which is one reason why this blog went dormant after February 1st, 2011!
As I begin 2012, I'm in a much different place than I was a year ago, have many of opportunities to pursue, and many decisions to make about the future, both in business and personally. A lot of changes were made in 2011. I'm in a new studio, which has allowed me to work more efficiently and maintain a comfortable work/life balance. As my business has expanded in 2011, I've changed the way I work, improved my product, and allowed myself more time to draw and do creative work, instead of solely focusing on sales and production to grow the business. There was a brief point last summer where it looked like I might merge businesses with my twin brother, who does similar work a few states away from me. Ultimately, we decided to keep our work separate. Nevertheless, we are both at the point where our one-man operations need a few extra people to enable us to grow and stay focused on our creative work. We have a third brother who is interested in joining us from a sales standpoint. Still, we are all hundreds of miles apart, with no intention of moving. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2012.
Thinking about all the changes and progress that was made, it's hard to believe I've only been doing this for one year. I'm excited for the year ahead. I have a feeling this will be another year of many changes and new opportunities. I'm grateful for the support of my customers online and in stores across the country and around the globe. I look forward to all of the people I'll meet and interact with this year through my work. Happy New Year!
