2021 was my most transformative year as a brand designer. And looking back I’m proud. My words for 2021 were “Sustainability” and “Believe”. Although my year wasn’t quite as sustainable as I’d have liked it to have been I can say that I definitely had belief. My business had some huge upheavals in 2021 and I wouldn’t have been able to go through them unless I believed I could.
In 2020, as the pandemic hit, I decided I was going to become a student again and learn about business and marketing. I really knuckled down on the “business” of business and learnt what it took to successfully run an online business. With those foundations in place, I then had a platform to grow from. 2021 was the year I made Chloë Georgina Design an authentic and exciting business to grow and build.
I’m going to share with you my biggest transformative milestones of the year. I’ll tell you why they made such a difference and what I learnt from them.
My own business and brand glow up
In mid-2021 I completed the huge and difficult task of rebranding my own business. I wrote a full blog post on the process and outcomes which you can find here.
As part of my rebrand, I also redesigned my website and revamped my whole brand design process that I take my clients through in my Full Brand Design Package. I added a media kit to my process to help streamline any potential leads and created an email newsletter called “Notes from the Studio” which were both in alignment with my new branding.
Designers mean it when they say a good brand design not only gives you the visual elements but helps you run your business on all levels. Through my challenging yet rewarding rebrand, I have learnt exactly this. Running my business is now so much clearer and less stressful. I have more confidence in myself, I know who I am and what I offer. It’s all in alignment and it feels great.
A shift in mindset
I read a good list of books in 2021 and really want to share those with you, so I may do a post about them soon. I chose books that were less about the hustle business lifestyle and more about intuition, authenticity, flexibility and a more feminine approach. And oh my, did these books resonate with me! These were the types of books I had been searching for since starting my business and they helped me to completely shift my way of working and solidify what I really believed in.
The biggest mindset shift I had in 2021 was a big U-turn. As I mentioned before 2020 was a year of learning about business, which has served me well but 2021 was about going back to creativity. Going back to my roots. It was about valuing and prioritising creativity and design over everything else. You may have seen me mention the phrase “Design is Queen”. To me, this is a strong reminder to always put design first and it helps me focus on doing what I love.
There is so much “stuff” to do as a business owner and I was getting swamped by all the tasks, meaning my creative time was being neglected. In 2021 I learnt to get my creative mojo back and it feels wonderful!
Habits that are here to stay
Habits! So small yet so powerful. I’ve learnt that I can’t always be doing all the best habits all at once, no matter how hard I try. It’s just not realistic. But I have built a repertoire of habits that I know I can use when they are needed. For example, 2021 was the year I meditated and exercised the most. My relationship with meditation is constantly changing and I know exactly when I benefit from it most which is usually during my busiest times. Exercise helps me to process life AND makes me stronger which is a great bonus!
However, one habit that is definitely here to stay are my weekly reviews. They keep me on track with my goals, making me productive and accountable. They show patterns in the way I work and why I feel certain ways, which in turn is empowering and gives me clues on how to make my time at work easier and more effective. They give me an insight into what is important, helping me to put into perspective all the situations that being a business owner brings. I love writing my weekly review. Every week it feels like a little nudge of acknowledgement, development and encouragement.
There were also many personal transformations in 2021. One being I got married – whoop! And I honestly can’t believe how quick the year has gone. I hope you can also acknowledge the transformations you went through and I’d love to hear them! Write a comment on my 2021 Review Instagram post to tell me yours.
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My aim is to keep it real and tell what I’ve accomplished or learnt that week – but most of all I aim to make you smile. If you sign up make sure to check your junk for the confirmation email!
That’s all for now I’ll catch up with you on another blog post soon! x
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