59 Next Steps

It’s my first year of being a full time illustrator

In recent history, all my steps pointed here. Illustrating full time.

But now that I am here what are the next steps?

A still wet drawing of Buzybee and a list

Here are some of the steps in my head in no particular order. Each step serves one or more of my core activities of being a professional illustrator.

#1 Be Current

#2 Be Discoverable

#3 Be Proactive

#4 Be Connected

#5 Be Brilliant

#5 Be Productive

This year I’ve managed to hit many of the goals I set for myself last November so it’s time to create some new goals. December is not a great time to create goals because of the holidays and all that.

This list is some of the things floating in my head, I’ll need to sequence them, stack them, and focus on the top 1 or 2 in each category, the rest will be punted to be considered in 2024.

Because it’s better to nail 1 or 2 goals in each category rather than start a bunch and finish nothing. Think about the goals for your creative , I’ll be asking you to share them here soon if you like.

1. Work on the books I’m commissioned for ( xxx ) #6

2. Complete Folktale week (27 hours) #2

3. Work on Napkin illustration project (3000 hours) #6

4. Work on comics course (400 hours) #3

5. Zoom hangout with Andy Pizza (30 min) #4

6. Art Sketch with Wendy Mac (30 min) #4

7. Illoguild Newsletter (2 hours x 12) #4

8. Illoguild giveaway illustration (4 hours) #4

9. Consolidate ‘Drawing icons’ into ‘the vault’ (15 hours) #2, #3

10. Re-Name ‘the Vault’ into something like ‘illo vault’ (2 hours) #6

11. Write interview questions #newsletter (8 hours) #4

12. Consolidate FAQs #newsletter (4hours) #2

13. Read Steven Press-fields Books (while colouring) #6

14. Design Newsletter’s Branding (27 hours) #6

15. Do referral marketing Course (27 hours) #3

16. Prune Newsletter Reading list (3 hours) #1

17. SEO optimise images on website (27 hours) #2

18. Learn to review picturebooks (10 hours) #1

19. Learn to study picturebooks (10 hours) #1

20. Write and illustrate guest posts (3 hours) #2, #3, #4

21. Contribute to Hey Kids Comics Zine (10 hours) #2, #3, #4

22. Practice lettering with a dip pen (50 hours) #3

23. Find 52 topics for 2023 premium newsletter content (4 hours) #3, #6

24. Get a plant or two for the studio (2 hours) #6

25. Plan some youTube content for 2023 (10 hours) #3

26. Carve 10 hours to work on comics out of a week (2 hours) #3

27. Create an improved reading workflow (2 hours) #7

28. Carve 30 minutes for reading daily (2 minutes) #7

29. Read Ryan Holiday’s Discipline book (while colouring) #7

30. Read to Toddler Daily #7

31. Study and make notes on Habits (50 hours) #7

32. Finish reading book on writing sentences, and take notes (8 hours) #3

33. Reread Superbetter (8 hours) #7

34. Reread the Power of full engagement (8 hours) #7

35. When stuck to a journal prompt -

36. Study your favourite newsletters (27 hours) #1, #5 ,#7

37. Take Tania Yakunova’s Domestika class (10 hours) #3 #1

38. Listen to Creative Peptalk and take notes (while colouring) #7

39. Listen to illustration Department and take notes (while colouring) #7

40. Work through business model canvas (27 hours) #3

41. Do Advent Drawing Challenge (27 hours) #1 #2

42. Interview Publishing Professionals (4hours each) #1 #2 #3 #4 #7

43. Interview illustrators (4hours each) #1 #2 #3 #4 #7

44. Develop a content syndication plan (27 hours) #2

45. Execute plan (15-30 minutes daily) #2

46. Develop a documentation process plan (4hours) #7

47. Document work (15-30minutes daily) #2 #6 #7

48. Articulate my Taste Gap (4hours) #1 #3

49. Aim to do 12 ‘fictional interviews’ (120 hours) #2 #3

50. Learn to review middle grade and chapterbooks (10 hours) #1

51. Draw a map of Disneyland (27-50 hours) #3

52. Draw a map of Istanbul (27 hours) #3

53. Draw a map of Santorini (27 hours) #3

54. Draw a family Portrait for Christmas (27 hours) #3 #4

55. Create interactive comic project (27 hours) #2 #4

56. Do series of animals in driving vehicles (4hours each) #2

57. Do a series replacing Richard Scary illustrations with humans (4 hours each) #2

58. Create 12 Kidlit Art Postcards (4hours) #2

59. Create 4 Major Portfolio Pieces #