Business Journal: a place to celebrate wins & reflect - 44th Edition

August’s highlights included launching my latest passion project, celebrating the lives of two family members we lost, spending lots of time with family, and focusing on exciting artist trades and client projects.

The Big Wins

• Created and launched a new passion project: Pedestrian By Choice. The new designs advocate for pedestrian safety and the benefits of a car-free lifestyle. Check out the full project via the recent blog post here.

• Completed a photo shoot as part of an Artist Trade with Chicago-based S.D.Wyatt Photography. Shannon had me make two new composting stickers, which are now available for pre-order.

General Updates + Accomplishments:

• Attended Daniel’s grandpa’s funeral and burial in Central Illinois as well as my mom’s uncle’s burial and celebration of life in Milwaukee. Highlights of our extra family time this month included meeting Daniel’s newest nephew, Breitling, and seeing my grandma and aunt for the first time in years.

• Delivered two new custom sticker designs to the Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere, Wisconsin. The “I Heart De Pere” and “I Bleed Green & Gold” designs will be available in the new museum’s gift shop when they open their doors for the first time later this year.

• Had a routine MRI to track the progression of my polycystic kidney disease. It seemed fitting that my test was on the sixth anniversary of my dad’s second kidney transplant. I am also very excited to be working with Gift of Hope on rebranding a campaign targeted at getting first-time drivers to “say yes” to being an organ donor when they get their license.

• Contributed to my SEP-IRA business retirement plan. PSA for fellow solopreneurs and small business owners: look into business retirement plans.

• Hosted my brother in Chicago while he was in town for a wedding. Highlights of his visit included showing him all of our favorite Logan Square and Avondale spots (while trying to stay out of the 100 degree heat) and getting lunch with my parents (who drove down from Wisconsin).

• Continued to enjoy summertime in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Peoria. From catching First Friday in Peoria and visiting two friends in the hospital to attending the Wisconsin State Fair to catching a movie in Millennium Park to stocking up on fresh vegetables at the Logan Square Farmers Market, we did our best to make the most of a busy month.

• Worked on a variety of artist trades and client projects. I also got the opportunity to submit artwork for a very exciting bid that I’m not able to share publicly yet.

Simply put, August was busy. It was wonderful to see so many family members all in one month, many we hadn’t seen for quite a while. I also enjoyed focusing on my latest passion project and putting it out into the world between client work and fun artist trades.

In September, I’m most looking forward to continued work on all of my open projects and attending both the WBDC Midwest Conference and Brand New Conference.

Thank you for being here, for supporting me, and for following along with my entrepreneurial journey.

PS - Have a project you’d like to chat about? Send me the details now to ensure your project gets on my calendar in 2023. Bring on all the logos, branded merchandise, + brand identity projects… let’s make some beautiful + impactful things together.

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