How is 2023 almost over already? This year I feel like I did so much, but at the same time wish I could have done more. Most of my goals this year were very personal, so I took a conscious step away from social media to enjoy life and work on my goals without needing to broadcast it to the world. This was the year that I traveled the most, tried the most restaurants and foods, progressed the most in my toy design career, and felt the most comfortable with myself.
This month I caught up with some friends who moved to LA around 2012, the same time I did. All of us marveled at how far we have come in 11 years! Back then, we barely had money for rent, and I had such trouble finding a job as a designer. I mean, I didn’t even go to Design School so that was problem #1 lol! Honestly it was a miracle that I landed my first job in LA, and things didn’t get any easier for many years. Fast forward to 2023, and I finally feel like I have proven myself as an expert in my field (doll design). For me, this was a turning point in my career to be able to say that I am one of the few experts on dolls at my current company. I definitely didn’t feel like an expert at anything 11 years ago!
The latter part of 2023 I was very career focused, but also wanted to fulfill another dream of mine : travel and eat all over the world. Somehow I was able to accomplish both! What suffered in the meantime were my personal art projects, but I don’t regret anything this year! I still plan to travelย in 2024, but also realized that I should actively set aside time to work on my custom dolls and artworks. I resurrected my TikTok just to post some new videos – no new art yet…just some unboxing of friends’ products.
If you’re still following my work after my long social media hiatus – thank you for playing the long game! Although I haven’t posted on socials this year, I still lurk hehe. I have more art plans in 2024 that I hope to share with you in the coming weeks. See you around!
~MJ
