How to be Intentional About Creative Opportunities in 2023

Have you set some new goals for the year yet?

I know you’ve seen all the posts on setting resolutions and goals and planning, etc. All your faves are talking about their plans for the year…or at the very least, how to get started. It’s pretty motivating, right?

I normally already have an idea of what I want to do for the better part of the next year by the end of December. But, it took me longer than usual to come up with some goals for myself this year…not because there aren’t many I could pursue. Believe me, there’s always something I want to do and a plan to get to do it. But, I had a difficult time this time around because, aside from bettering my lettering (and calligraphy now), I had knocked so many things off my bucket list, I realized that there weren’t too many other things left on that list to do.

And that got me thinking…

Could it be that my goals are not scaring me enough yet?

If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.
~Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

I’m a whole teacher…How could I not have seen this? We deal in encouraging dreamers all the time. 🧐

I recently revisited a dream of having my lettering featured on the cover of a Delaware magazine. I actually said it out loud last month to the Marie Coleman. 😱 Aside from finishing all my current courses and taking classes with Ken Barber, Suz Cunningham, and Doris Wai, etc., it’s the last one on my bucket list that didn’t get checked off.

I honestly think that dream is scary, but also possible. Delaware is tiny and there may be a publication that would benefit from some hand-lettering on their cover. But, that’s all it has been…a dream. Without a plan, the chances of that happening are slim to none.

And the worst kinds of goals ever are the kind you dreamed about. but never reached for.

While I’ll always be seeking to improve my skillset as a goal, maybe it’s time to seek other scarier kinds of skills alongside that like pitching and developing and submitting my portfolio to brands and agencies that I think I would enjoy working with some day.

Last year, some great opportunities fell into my lap just as a result of being daring enough to share my work…and putting yourself out there is pretty gutsy considering the internet isn’t always a warm and fuzzy place to interact. It’s only logical to assume that directly contacting folks you’d like to work with could be similar, at times.

And while I’d never want to sap the fun out of lettering and calligraphy, and I enjoyed so many of the folks I worked with in 2022 and would welcome working with them again, this year, my number one goal is to be more intentional about creating additional opportunities that I’d like to see.

How do I intend to do that?

Glad you asked. It makes me have to think about it. 😝

How to Be More Intentional About Creative Opportunities in 2023

Brainstorm the projects you like working on the most.
Research and develop a spreadsheet of agencies/brands you’d like to reach out to with contact information, website, submission guidelines, etc.
Simultaneously develop your portfolio to showcase your skills while resonating with the aesthetic of those you seek to work with.
Develop an email template/pitch or script that will be the skeleton for how you will present your services along with any accompanying paraphernalia (like pitch decks, follow-up proposals, etc.).
Determine a doable frequency for how often you will send out your pitch.
Run the plan.

Since I’m working full time, I need to set some realistic timelines around these activities over the course of the school year. But, if you were to try this plan, maybe it would take you no time at all to compile the info you need and start running your plan.

Now, this little experiment may actually flop. I mean, after last year, why not just say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it’’? And, another of my favorite quips, ‘Why you gotta be all extra?’

Well…It’s because, when you wish upon a star, makes no diff-

I’m just playing! 😂

It’s because I can’t help it…I’m a goal-getter. 💪🏾

If you are a goal-getter too, have a look at a few of the most motivating posts I’ve seen on it so far on getting set to reach your goals for the new year.