2023 Year in review

Another year has come and gone. '23 was such an interesting year. I had overall abundance of creative opportunity this year and worked so hard. I saw some of the most growth ever in my work as a designer this year, and I'm so proud of the progress I've made! Although I can't share much at this time, just know that I was drawing a LOT behind the scenes!

Unfortunately, it came with the cost of some major burnout spells as well as ending the year with carpal tunnel. :( This year I learned a lot about my resilience, but also faced a lot of consequences with pushing myself too hard. I hope to find a better balance in 2024. Take care of yourselves!

LOWS:
- I had some pretty bad experiences with burnout this year. The spring was particularly difficult, and I experienced physical manifestations of my stress that really scared me.  (On the flip side, my general mental health was very well managed this year!) 

- The typical myriad of family health concerns continues to grow, but we've also learned a lot of resilience as a family together. I'm so glad I am still at home with my parents during this time and am able to help whenever I can! Words can't even begin to describe how grateful I am to be able to work from home with everything going on. 

HIGHLIGHTS
- I'll start with the biggest one! Katidoodlesmuch.com turned 10 years old in June~! I started this website in 2013 so I could create a portfolio and start taking commissions, jumpstarting my career as a professional artist when I was just 16 years old. Whether you've been here for just part of it, or the whole journey, I'm so grateful for all the support~!
 
- I'm currently reading my 57th book of the year! My goal was 52, but I expect to reach 60 by the end of the week while I have some time off.  You can keep track my reading progress on Goodreads! 

- Crocheted 9 projects! Several were my own pattern / design. I'm really loving this hobby and can't wait to make more plush toys in 2024!

- Visited Cassondra over the summer including a trip to Disneyland and World of Barbie! (BTW OMG SO MUCH BARBIE THIS YEAR AHHHH!!!) 

- Speaking of Barbie lol! I put together a MerMay prompt list called #BarbieMerMay with all Barbie themed prompts. It was SO FUN! 

- Over the summer I took Intro to Character Design for TV Animation from Cheyenne Curtis & Project City.tv It was such an incredible class with a wealth of information on designing for a TV Pipeline. I revisited my portfolio and created work that I'm truly really proud of and felt authentic to my own voice. I'm so glad I had this opportunity! 

- Worked on some General Toy / Pretend Play projects at work. I got some really good toy design experience under my belt, working on many projects that really pushed me outside of my comfort zone! I probably won't be able to share for a while, but I can't wait for y'all to see! 

- Attended Toy Fair New York for the first time with work! I finally got to meet some of my coworkers after 3.5 years!

Here are some of the goals I achieved this year!
GOALS FOR 2023
- Read 52 books ✔️
- Get back into crafting. Sew some plushies & sculpt some dolls with clay! ✔️

I wanted to try to finish a sketchbook this year, but only got about halfway through. I definitely want to try again next year! 

So with that, here are my goals for next year!
GOALS FOR 2024
- Read 55 books 
- Fill a 100 page sketchbook
- Crochet 10 projects
- Develop my portfolio with more character design exploration and toy and prop designs too! 

Overall, I truly felt like this year I stayed so true to myself, my voice as an artist, and my hobbies. I finally felt like I was coming back to myself but with much more assurance and patience with myself. It's magical and I'm really hopeful about where I'm going next. 

Last but not least, we of course have to take a trip down memory lane! Here's the running recap of my art since 2011 when I first started this tradition. Thanks for all the years of support!! 

Happy New Year! 
XOXO 
Kati

​ART SUMMARIES (2011-2023)