December 2024 | looking ahead
- Emily Randall
- Jan 4
- 5 min read
This month’s blog post will be different to usual. I didn’t do enough arty stuff in December to really talk about - just some landscape practice, macramé, sketching for a project (to be announced) and selling at a Christmas market where I met some lovely people. The rest of the month was spent writing my fantasy novel and doing the usual stuff you do around Christmas time.
Instead I wanted to look back at the year and plan for 2025.
This blog marks the eleventh monthly blog of the year! (I only decided to make monthly update blogs in February, so don’t have one for January). It has honestly been really helpful for me to sit down and gather up photos and memories from each month. Being able to look back and see my progress has helped me keep going even when I’m down. It’s meant I haven’t forgotten things as quickly. I look forward to coming back to these blogs in several years’ time and seeing the things I did to begin taking things more seriously with my art, online shops and identity in general.
Thanks to the diary-like blogs, I can easily look back and figure out the highlights of each month, such as how:
In January I begun my first Book of Shadows and Visual Journal.
In February I got more serious about my art as a career and business.
In March I sold at my first exhibition at Speak Volumes! Festival.
In April my submission was included in a Drama Proof Pigeon Club zine.
In May I made a short animation inspired by Cardiff Zine Fest’s ‘Battle of Wonk’.
In June I pushed myself out of my comfort zone by making bigger pieces of art as well as using subjects I usually wouldn’t, using mediums like ink, poetry and zines.
In July I realised my art world and fantasy-book world didn’t have to be separate and could inspire each other.
In August I had the odd, sudden realisation that I can label myself as a queer, pagan artist and writer and not feel like I’m lying.
In September I realised I want to create my own young artists’ group or society to highlight the somewhat pushed-aside art of young people in Herefordshire.
In October I networked and made connections that led to exciting things (yet to be revealed!).
In November I concentrated on my creative writing and made huge progress with my fantasy novel.
In December I took a much needed mental break and planned for the year ahead!
If you’re an artist or creative yourself, and especially if you’re just starting out and feel like your progress is going slowly, I highly recommend making a summary of each month and looking back at what you did do to progress, however small the thing may be. It doesn’t have to be a blog, of course: it can stay as a document on your computer, or a highlight post on Instagram, or just a journal entry. Try it out and romanticise your life!
The year ahead.
I have several goals to work toward in 2025 in mind. Not all of them are art-related, but I will just stick with the art and writing goals in the list below:
- I'm continuing my journey of discovering what it is I truly want to draw, which is stuff from the heart and life experiences (and not worrying about what people think). To help with this, I'm going to be making myself sketchbook everyday if I can, because I severely miss the version of Emily who just filled sketchbooks non-stop. I need to get back to practising…um...EVERYTHING. That includes figures, hands, faces, objects, environments, and so on.
- I want to make more art relating to my fantasy novel(s), especially by drawing scenes in the story, drawing my characters and creatures, and designing objects in the world like clothing and buildings. I want the Novel Sketchbook I set up in July to be at least half full by the end of the year!
- I'm going to finish the first draft of my novel for real this time, as long as I keep up with the nice writing habit I built up during NaNoWriMo. And, maybe, I might even start the draft for the second book (my story spans a whole series of books that I have roughly planned out).
- I'm working on a big project that I won't reveal quite yet, but it has to do with games! It’s going to take me out of my comfort zone and I am very excited to finally be a part of making something I’ve been wanting to make for years.
- I would like to get some of my products from the letsgetarty shop and From the Witch’s Scullery shop into local (physical) shops.
- I’d like to finish some of the fan-animations that have been gathering dust on my iPad. Most of them are The Legend of Zelda themed (of course).
Those are the main goals I can think of for now! I fully expect new goals to come along during the year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of the above goals take a backseat. There’s no knowing what the next 12 months will bring!
I will continue to write monthly blog posts in 2025 (to make the most of the cost of this website!!!), and push myself to write more blog posts about specific topics. I still have two blog posts in the works from 2024: A h.Art Week blog post and an end-of-NaNoWriMo blog post. I’d like to pair this up with making YouTube videos again, now that I have a decent video editor. Again, I not only want to make art vlogs but maybe do some more specific videos like process videos or informational videos. This, though, is a very vague goal, so I have no idea if I will actually do it!
All in all, 2024 has had its many ups and downs not just with art but in my personal life in general. My biggest aim for this year is to make circumstances better for myself by changing multiple areas of my life, and of course my artwork plays a very big part in that. I'm going to push myself to be more pro-active and make bigger decisions.
I hope everyone makes the most of the new year, whether you have a list of goals or not. Go out there and create the life you truly wish to lead :)
~ Emily.
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