As I reflect on 2022, I can’t help but think about all the people who impacted me and my business. Some end-of-year reviews discuss wins, losses, and lessons learned, but I want to do something different. Instead of listing my successes, I’m going to give a bit of a thank-you speech. This year couldn’t have been what it was without the support of my community, so thank you all for being a part of the journey.

Luke Knight

This list is in no particular order, but the first person I’d like to thank is Luke Knight. Not only is Luke a pastor at my church, but he’s also a life coach. In addition to meeting with me for some coaching sessions, we recorded a couple of podcasts together. He first interviewed me for his Artist and Advent series, then I interviewed him on Coaching for Creatives when Clubhouse was a thing (RIP, Clubhouse). 

At the beginning of 2022, Luke helped me navigate through one of the most challenging client situations I’ve encountered in my career. I scheduled an urgent phone meeting with him and had a full-blown panic attack during our call. He was so supportive and level-headed the entire time. He taught me that art is pain. He reminded me that the value of my work isn’t measured by what others attribute to it, but by what I believe it is. He likened my experience to a Hollywood actress trying to catch her big break.

The most famous actors of our time didn’t just show up and start making blockbuster hits; they put in years of hard work behind the scenes to arrive where they’re at today. Actors are artists and they aren’t foreign to getting taken advantage of, hearing “no” often, and having doors slammed in their faces. And yet, they continue to persevere because they understand the bigger picture. This analogy helped me zoom out and take a birds-eye view of my own story. Now I can look at the challenges I face as an opportunity for refinement and an opportunity to take one step closer to the person I’m meant to become.

Kait Day

The next person I’d like to thank is Kait Day. During the pandemic, I was having immense difficulty getting my business off the ground. I was discouraged and burnt out, so I decided to put my business on the back burner and get a job. In 2021, I applied to work at Nowaday Studio and got the position. Kait and I clicked right away. I remember meeting her in person for the first time in the middle of winter. She was passing through Vancouver, so we meant for coffee. During our time together, she was so transparent about the ups and downs of being a creative entrepreneur. She held nothing back.

Over the course of my time working with Kait, we had numerous phone calls that were mutually beneficial. We navigated through a lot of business stuff together and we both came out stronger with the support of one another. By the summer of 2022, I was really feeling the tug back towards entrepreneurship. At that point, I was so invested in Nowaday that I basically had neglected my own business entirely. I loved working at Nowaday, but I really wanted to experience what it was like to build a business of my own and (God willing) see it succeed.

Walking away from that job was the hardest goodbye of my career. At the time, we were in between projects, so I knew that if I was going to pivot, now was the time to do it. I cried when I told Kait I was going to resign. She handled it so maturely. On our last call, she encouraged me and shared advice about how to unapologetically pursue my dream of entrepreneurship. To this day, we’re still connected and I’m so proud of the work we created together. Some of my favorite projects were designed at Nowaday and I’ll never forget everything I learned during my time there.

Sara Noel

Ok, next up is Sara Noel from Between the Lines Copy. My goodness, where to start? I first reached out to Sara in 2021 because I wanted to work with her on my website copywriting. At the time, I had just saved up enough money to invest in one creative professional service that year. After hopping on a few discovery calls for various service providers, it was time to make a decision. I could either hire a copywriter, a Pinterest marketing manager, or a virtual assistant. It was such a tough choice, but I ended up signing a three-month contract with the Pinterest marketing manager. Of course, I had high hopes that I’d soon be in a position to work with Sara next. I later realized that although the marketing manager was able to help me drive traffic to my website, my website wasn’t converting! Lesson learned. Copywriting should have come before marketing, so I could turn those new leads into sales.

To my delight, Sara took the liberty of creating an entire course about her website copywriting process. Because I didn’t start with copywriting (like I should have), I wasn’t in the position to hire her — however, I could afford to enroll in Site Series. I didn’t wait until the last call to action to register. As soon as her course was launched, I was ready to buy. Admittedly, I haven’t finished the entire curriculum yet, but WOW, what I’ve already learned and implemented is worth its weight in gold. Sara is a down-to-earth, no-BS teacher with spice. She’s the queen of italics and loves a good, “Long story long.” Everything I’ve learned from Sara has not only improved my copywriting abilities, but she’s also painted a picture of the type of entrepreneur I aspire to be: honest and carefree.

Abbey McGrew

I’d also like to thank Abbey McGrew from Wayfarer Design Studio. I’ve been following Abbey for several years and she’s taught me SO much about running an independent design studio. In addition to purchasing basically every template and resource she’s ever created, I also attended her first summit this year. To my surprise, she selected my portfolio to review in a live presentation during the Unfiltered Designer Summit. I was so flattered that she took the time to audit my website and TBH, I was a little starstruck too. I couldn’t believe the amount of helpful feedback she provided. We even continued communicating about my portfolio over email after the presentation. I immediately implemented every suggestion she made — no questions asked. So, thank you, Abbey, for not only taking the time to review my portfolio but also gifting the world with your incredible resources. Your templates have improved my systems, processes, and client experience tenfold. I will always be a fan of your work.

Lydia Kerr

The fifth person on my “Thank You” list is Lydia Kerr — Founder of Telltale Design and the biggest advocate for designers. Seriously, she will go to bat for you. We’ve been online acquaintances for a while and she’s always down for a good chat or voice memo. Lydia is a master at staying curious, asking questions, and creative problem-solving. Whenever I talk to her or listen to one of her webinars, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Through Lydia’s mentorship, I’ve learned how to generate more client leads, I’ve successfully executed the one concept approach all year, and I’ve started implementing the one client method into my process. If you’re a designer who’s looking to take your business to the next level, I highly recommend checking out bytelltale.com and getting on Lydia’s email list ASAP!

Xanthe Appleyard

I’d also like to give a special shoutout to Xanthe Appleyard. Xanthe and her partner Frank are the owners of Oh Sierra and The Table — an online community for creative entrepreneurs. Last year I participated in the Oh Sierra 21-Day Challenge on social media and it really helped me learn how to talk about my business on camera. This year, joining their community was a prerequisite for accessing the challenge, so I obviously signed up. To be honest, I couldn’t entirely keep up with the challenge this year, but I definitely intend to finish it in my own time. I absolutely loved that the focus of this year’s challenge was on community building — which is much needed for me. Being a part of the Oh Sierra challenge and The Table community was a great way to close out 2022. (Although I’m hoping to rejoin The Table one day, I’ve decided to take a break so I can start implementing everything I’ve learned and catch up on all the other courses I’ve invested in this year.) Xanthe is a gem. I admire her ability to keep things real, stay true to herself, and show up consistently/imperfectly on social media. Her commitment to her community encourages entrepreneurs from all walks of business and life.

Kieran Lenahan

Next up, I want to give an extra big thank you to my business coach, Kieran Lenahan. I can only imagine how much harder this year would have been without the support of the RYM mastermind community and Kieran’s calm, collected approach to coaching. The materials he provided to our group, along with the program, have helped me recalibrate the way I think about and operate my business. A lot of my “wins” have been pretty small, but Kieran has shown me how to honor even the little accomplishments. One of the many lessons I’ve learned is imagining my progress like chopping down a tree with an axe. Every time I post on social media, make a new connection, work on my website, write a blog post, add improvements to my client experience, etc. I’m taking another swing of the axe. This perspective gives credit to all the compounding efforts I contribute towards my business development. Don’t give up. Keep plugging away. You never know which swing of the axe will finally knock down the tree.

Rob Wilson

Last but not least, none of this would be possible without my husband, Rob Wilson by my side. Besides myself, no one has made more sacrifices for my business than Rob. His belief in me and his willingness to invest in my dreams motivates me every day. I really can’t imagine a better partner to do life with. It takes a man of Rob’s character to support an entrepreneurial wife. I could honestly go on for days about all the ways he supports me. Not only does he provide for our family, but he goes above and beyond: working a full-time job, taking on the occasional freelance gig, getting groceries on the way home, helping keep the house clean, and so much more. He’s one of the hardest workers I know and his colleagues can attest to that. On top of everything else, Rob is my best friend. We laugh together, cry together, and dream about the future together. He encourages me when I’m down, challenges me when I need a push in the right direction, and reminds me of everything I’ve accomplished when I feel inadequate. I’m so lucky to call him mine.

If you read this far, thanks for sticking around. I hope that this post reminds you of all the people who have meaningfully contributed to your story this year. We weren’t created to do life alone. When I look back on my life, I won’t remember every email I sent, invoice I processed, or deliverable I created; I’m going to remember the people. If you have a moment, I encourage you to spend time reflecting on those who have impacted 2022 for you. As we enter 2023, I pray that we’ll continue to practice gratitude and recognize all the ways God works through those around us.