Looking back on my work in 2017, I was more productive than I had ever been in my career. I was in 9 different shows/events, and released several series of custom toys along with my own original work. Objectively it seems like I did very well. But I had many struggles and failed attempts along the way, and it felt like the toughest year in my career. By the end of the year I felt like I needed a long vacation. If you follow my Instagram you probably noticed that I only posted one thing the whole month of December (I usually post 5-6 times week). I was taking some time over the holidays to relax, reflect on my successes and failures over the past year, and figure out where I want to go next.
Going forward into this new year, here are some realizations and new goals for 2018:
1. Quality over quantity
As some of you may know, I do have a full time job. All of the artwork that you see on my Instagram and Website is done at home, in my free time. I have so many ideas for art projects, but I simply don’t have the time to make all of them. The company that I work for was extremely busy last year, which meant that I often stayed late to finish assignments. This left me even less time to work on my own toys and art. At the start of last year, I thought that participating in more shows would be great for my career in the designer toy world. Shows did give me great exposure, but I did so many that I felt constantly stressed and overworked. I never gave myself a break and rarely saw my friends or family. My physical and mental health really suffered as a result.
In 2018, I will consider my well-being when deciding whether or not to commit to a show. “Quality over quantity” will be the goal this year. This way, I can dedicate more time to developing my own projects.
2. Expand on my skills
I studied painting when I was in college, but my current portfolio doesn’t showcase my full range of skills. In my gallery page, you have to scroll waaaay down to see any of my illustrative work. I really love to draw and create my own characters, but since I started making toys, I didn’t give myself enough time to do that anymore. Doing fewer shows would allow me to put more energy into what I really love – doodling!
In 2018, I plan to complete at least one large drawing a month (along with some smaller doodles here and there). I know that illustration is not something that you are used to seeing from me. I hope that you can appreciate my drawings as much as my toys!
3. Keep trying new things
Trying new things doesn’t always work out. In 2017, I tried many new techniques and projects, but not all of them were successful. A couple of them were downright failures. In hindsight, my failures were attributed to one thing – rushing to finish a project. I usually plan out my projects very carefully and any experimentation happens in controlled stages. When trying out a new technique, ideally I would give myself enough time before a deadline, so that any mishaps could be accounted for. But as I keep saying, my schedule was so packed last year that I ended up rushing many experiments, which resulted in sub-par artwork.
I don’t want the past failures keep me from doing something new. I’m the type of person who gets bored doing the same thing over and over again. I like to be challenged, and figuring out how to do something new makes me very happy. This is why my artwork can look very inconsistent in terms of style. Many artists have their own “style” that is instantly recognizable. I guess I’m still figuring out mine, or maybe that’s just part of my nature as an artist. For now, I can’t settle on one thing for too long or else I get tired of making my own art!
Going forward, if I want to try something totally new, I need to give myself more time, without a deadline. That way I can steadily learn to master new skills without any pressure.
4. Make art that I love
I spent much of the past two years trying to please my audience. Hours were spent analyzing what my fans want to see, and how to deliver it. By the end of the year, I had spent too much time on my most popular toys, instead of investing energy into creating new pieces. Not that focusing on your best-sellers is a bad thing, but as I explained in point 3 above, I get bored of making so many of the same thing. I wanted to make completely new work, but felt shackled to past successes.ย I know that you all love my Delectables and Donatsu series, but in order to move forward I have to let them go!
From now on, I will make work that I personally believe in, not just because it’s what a toy collector would want, or even what my fans want. If I don’t make art that I love, then nobody else will love it!
This was a pretty personal blog post. This year, you’ll probably see some new things from me. I hope that at least some of them actually turn out good! As usual, I’ll still be posting regularly on Instagram (@mjhsu) so you can keep track of my adventures in art there. Happy new year, and see you around!
~MJ
