Goodbye, 2018! Last year was a rollercoaster ride, artistically and personally, full of exciting highs and crushing lows, moving too fast and over too quickly. It was the year I left a stressful job to pursue art full-time, but still had to struggle with the anxiety and self-doubt that the job had created. It was the year I started designing wrestling merchandise, something I never expected to do, and also really started to learn to do vector art.
In 2018, I had to apply to extend my visa to remain in the UK with my husband. This was a process that took months to prepare for and months to receive an answer, a terrifying time in which I would often lie awake at night, wondering if something like a small error in paperwork would force me to leave my home. Fortunately, my application was approved. In a little over two years, I will go through all of that again for the last time.
In 2018, I was able to travel, something I have not done much since moving to the UK. It was an amazing experience, and it left me wanting more. In the new year, I hope to do a lot more of that!
There were setbacks in 2018, mostly toward the end of the year. I made mistakes, and I allowed those mistakes to hold me back and slow me down. But now I feel like I have learned from them, and I’m ready to tackle 2019 with renewed motivation and awareness!
I have so many resolutions for the new year. I want to make more art in general, for myself and for others. I want to take bigger creative risks by continuing to learn new things all the time, but fewer business risks; I have been rethinking how I handle freelancing, and there are going to be changes coming soon. While I can take constructive criticism, I want to develop a thicker skin against the anonymous meanness of the internet. And, most importantly, I want to start and finish one of the big projects that have been building up in my head, either an art book or one of three comic ideas.
Watch for changes to this site in the year ahead, a new layout and an updated portfolio section, more frequent posts with sketches, works in progress, and more!
Thanks for sticking with me, and have a very happy new year!
Vanessa Ellis 