For me 2018 felt like a year of ups and downs, personally and professionally. It’s been about a year since my Ten Year Review, so I thought I’d share and reflect on my experiences.
The Numbers
Last year I completed 81 projects with 28 clients, including some big names like Google, Microsoft, Air Canada, and BF Goodrich. 90% of my work was with American clients, 9% with Canadians and 1% with British. About 70% of my work was technical illustration, and 30% was editorial illustration under my alias Textbook Example.
Total sales were down slightly from 2017, but I took more personal time off and I was happy with my work/life balance.
The Hits
2018 started out slow for new projects. I used the downtime to organize my studio, redesign Textbook Example, and learn more about 3D rigging and animation in Cinema 4D. I think this was time well spent.
Work eventually picked up, and I collaborated with some big names, and produced work that I’m very proud of. Unfortunately, I’m not able to share some of it due to NDAs.
Last year, I declined more projects that I wasn’t a good fit for or didn’t have time to take on, and referred them on to fellow illustrators that were more suitable or available. These colleagues also did the same for me.
In the fall, my wife and I took three weeks off to visit China and Hong Kong for our first time. It was a great experience and we met some amazing people. Highlights for me were a tour of Shanghai by sidecar, a hike of an unrestored section of the Great Wall, and cycling around the hills of Yangshuo.
I also made pasta from scratch (linguine), built new office desks (wood and black steel pipe), and bought a new motorcycle (Ducati Scrambler)!
The Misses
Many of the projects I worked on in 2018 are under non-disclosure agreements, meaning I can’t use them for self-promotion. NDAs are a fact of life in technical illustration because it often deals with confidential information, but it makes for a quiet social media stream and a stagnant portfolio.
As a result, I didn’t share my work or engage with the illustration community as much as I wanted to. I was pretty quiet on Instagram, Dribbble, Technical Illustrators.org, and this blog.
Last year one of my goals was recognition, in the form of an illustration award, but I didn’t end up entering my work into a single competition.
I was thinking of attending the ICON illustration conference in Detroit, but I sat on it and missed out. #fomo.
The Apps
Notes (iOS/Mac) was a big breakthrough for me in 2018. In January I started a list on my phone and throughout the year whenever I accomplished something, big or small, I simply made note of it.
My list started with easy wins (framed some art, organized my books & magazines, mounted a TV), but these snowballed into bigger victories (having an awesome home-studio that I love spending time in). It also got me to reframe some setbacks that I suffered into challenges that I overcame.
I think it’s natural (even beneficial) to reflect on your shortcomings or failures – you can learn a lot from them – but it can bog you down. Having a list of my growth and progress over time was a great way to reset and get motivated for the next victory.
Downcast (iOS/Mac) is my new podcast player of choice. I listen to a lot of podcasts while I work, from news to education to comedy. Downcast does it way better than iTunes. Last year I listened to about 372 episodes about economics! (shoutout to Planet Money, The Indicator, and Freakonomics)
Cineware (Mac/PC) is a plugin that allows you to place Cinema 4D scene files and work with them right inside Illustrator. You can rotate and position 3D objects, lights, and cameras, and create, edit and apply materials. I used it extensively on one project to create reference views of a Jeep.
The Year Ahead
Smarter Goals The goals in my Ten Year report weren’t SMART, so I didn’t make much progress on them. My goal for 2019 is to create better goals!
Metrics Using Google Forms, I’m going to create a daily survey to better track my hours, energy level, mood, and more. This might provide some insights into my productivity, or at least make for a more interesting “Numbers” section in next year’s annual report.
Community In 2019, to better engage with the community, I will write a post at least monthly here and on Technical Illustrators.org. I’ll also post to Instagram and Dribbble at least weekly.
New Workstation I’m still happy with my 2009 Mac Pro tower, but I’m eager to see what Apple has come up with for its new generation of modular Mac Pros.
I’d like to say a big thank you to all of my clients for your business and your trust. Also to my colleagues and friends for your support and camaraderie. And of course, to you for reading!