EI Year One
Some reflections on my first year as a full-time business owner.
Back in the 90s, I thought 2024 was gonna be awesome. For lots of reasons that didn’t include me working for myself. Well, here I am. No flying cars or personal robot sandwich makers. But super-appreciative for what I have been able to accomplish.
Here’s five areas I invested in this year:
1 - Flip Doodle Deluxe
The success of Flip Doodle back in 2020, which was released as a resource for creatives, teachers and parents, led me to create Flip Doodle Deluxe (FDD). There are 72 cards, 528 words, 50 kinds of challenges and pretty much infinite combinations of creative prompts possible. All in one solid little carrying case that’s ready to travel wherever you go.
Overall, this project took two years to complete. I worked from the original Flip Doodle PDFs I released and elaborated on them. This involved adding new word prompts, removing some, thinking about how different word mashups would play off each other, etc. It’s so satisfying to have completed this one!
2 - Bugchums – Mini-Mart Merchant
Bugchums – Mini-Mart Merchant (BCMMM) is a dice game you print on your home printer or at local print shop. Download all the files from my shop, grab some dice and a pen and go! I grew up playing dice games like Yahtzee, so drew a little inspiration from those experiences. The result is a snappy roll-and-write game that can be played solo or with lots of chums.
Game design is a true design discipline, on par with environmental design, industrial design, graphic design, etc. Taking things like gameplay rules, probabilities, chance happenings, visual elements, physical components and more, and converting all these things into fun is a true challenge. I’m getting better by doing it.
3 - Bugruckus – Game Companion
I created the Bugruckus Game Companion as a world-building reference to help keep me organized as I create the upcoming Bugruckus card game. This 64 page ebook is like an almanac for the world of Bugchums. It includes lots of artwork, all sorts of bug facts, info about the Bumble Isles and tons of information for folks who want to bee-come bugologists. (That’s a real job, I checked. And pun = 100% intentional!)
Book-making is something I’ve loved for a long time. Book covers, page structure, layout – all of it scratches a design itch for me. But I also want to create content that shows how committed I am to the intellectual properties I author. And as for writing as a craft, again the only way to get better is by doing it and embracing a continuous learning mindset.
4 - Ramp Up Client Commissions
Client commissions this year included some logo / identity design, t-shirt illustrations for Verrado High School and some animation packages. While I don’t post client work on my site, I do have a portfolio of those samples I share directly with potential clients when I meet with them. I also have a list of clients I’ve worked with here.
My goal in 2025 is to increase illustration commissions. I’d really like to create more artwork for textiles, clothing lines, decorator art, postcard sets, social media content, books and identity work for entrepreneurs. If you or anyone you know is looking to hire out such work, have them talk to me. My rates are affordable and I pride myself on being easy to work with.
5 - Attending / Hosting Events
During 2024 I did two main events – Family Fun Day at Phoenix Art Museum and Phoenix Design Week’s OASIS Conference. Both were really engaging and were great opportunities to meet the public, answer questions and connect with other creatives.
During 2025 I have at least two events I’m involved with and I’ll have some announcements coming regarding events I’ll be hosting in person and online!
Thank you to everyone who supported my studio in some way this year – with commissions, purchases from my shop and encouragement at events. It means a lot.
So what’s next? 2025 = time to think about what to work on next year! A quick sneak peak below. More to come soon.
–E
