How to be creative with your New Year's Resolutions

Heading into 2023, my resolution would be to gain experience with different forms of media.

I recently had the opportunity to be involved in a model photoshoot for a luxury skincare brand, and it was invigorating to understand the behind-the-scenes process and take a creative lead with a new type of medium. The shoot inspired my current graphic design projects and motivated me to pursue creative design in different forms of media such as digital marketing and video production.

And for all young designers out there, my best advice is to focus on your weaknesses and make them your strengths as those are the only things holding you back in your career.

My creative resolution for 2023 is to have more of a balance of my creative life as well as my personal life.

It’s important to remember to make time outside of work for creativity without a purpose, as well as what I do for my job as a designer. I’d like to practice more lettering—it’s something I absolutely love crafting but I don’t give myself enough time to do it. Doing so will help push my creative confidence.

I am terrible at making resolutions, and my own are a combination of what I'm already trying to do.

If I was to give advice to creatives for 2023, it would be simply becoming better at what you’re already doing.

Something I’ve learnt this year is that if you’re passionate about something that isn’t entirely design focused, see if there’s a space where you can make them work together and see what comes of that. You might be really surprised.

As a fully remote worker, it’s easy to get stuck in your own head, and technology can be a barrier to the creative process and spontaneous flow of ideas.

This year I’m going to try to take more time to collaborate with other designers with the goal to ultimately create better designs.

For any creative unsure what resolutions to set, I would try creating something with your hands.

So much of our current work as designers is behind a screen (heck, I even draw and read on an iPad now!) that it can be amazing to learn a new skill in the real world. Be it pottery or painting, just find new ways of being creative that don’t involve clicking a mouse or swiping. You never know where your next inspiration will come from.

My goal for 2023 is to embrace problem solving.

It doesn’t usually feel like a creative task, but the process of solving a problem can result in the most creative ideas. It’s something we creatives are often reminded of, and we want to roll our eyes when we hear it, but this year I want to take a step back and focus on the opportunities.

If there’s any advice I would give to creatives for 2023, it’s to continue to do the things that you really enjoy, whether at work or in personal projects.

Having fun while creating is always the best place to start.

It makes it easier to tackle the tricky tasks and head-scratching briefs later!

An important goal of mine for 2023 would be to take more time to stand back and reflect. It’s important to appreciate how far you’ve come.

Reflecting on the steps you’ve taken to get to where you are is fundamental for growth.

Another would be to ask questions, and dig a little deeper. This goes for both building strong relationships in the workplace and creating meaningful work. You can never know enough, and you should never stop learning.

Advice for creatives would be always read, and then re-read the brief - it should go without saying. However, YOU are the creative. The wild card. Dissect it as you wish. It’s your responsibility to ask questions, push the boundaries when it comes to thinking, and bring excitement. Approach everything with a creative’s perspective, even when the client isn’t expecting it.

I’m only one year out of university, but if there is one thing I’ve learnt this year, it’s that learning does not stop at graduation.

There is so much to be gained from looking outside your own role.

With that in mind, my 2023 resolution is to gain a more holistic understanding of the various roles that make up a design studio.

I will be making time to sit with, observe and learn from the graphics, technical design and artworkers so that I can gain a more rounded view of the practice and how each person contributes to the final outcome. We designers cannot seem to go a year without a wave of new technical tools entering the market, so I will also be building in dedicated time next year to ensure that I am well versed in the latest programmes and software. This will help me to deliver my best work in good time.

In 2023 I want to challenge myself and upgrade my skills.

My advice to other creatives is to set some easy-win goals and one or two larger goals on top of them.

It’s like learning to walk for a newborn: easy baby steps can take you far.

There is no need to set incredible goals without building the foundations to get there. Personally, I also set goals for my own health, not just career and personal goals. I find that I can perform best when I’m feeling good, so this takes priority.

It’s easy to continually think what’s next?

The end of a year is a good time to celebrate what you’re grateful for.

Three questions I like to ask myself and our team before entering a new year are: What’s the best thing that happened this year?

What could we do to make more space for this?

And what could we have done to make the year even better?