✯ happy 2025!! ✯

my 2025 art goals and what I have been doing so far :)

Author

ghostlymatte
January 5th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Happy 2025!! I am sure I already passed the "happy new year" salutations-post space lol but here we are : )

I find this year promising, yet so very scary, especially hearing the latest news in the world and upcoming changes in the physical and virtual world. BUT! I refuse to let my creativity to die because things are looking morbid. I sometimes question if maybe I feel things are so morbid and doom-and-gloom because I am more aware and listening to the world unlike when I was a lot younger.

Check out this podcast video if you fear how the creative art world is looking and you are also feeling lost and scared. This video helped really rebuild my confidence again in self and in the art community:

(Creative Pep Talk 486 - How to Transform Your Creative Frustrations into Fertilizer in 2025): https://youtu.be/zSWOLdd-kDw?si=E-VA6VD4i4MDOEoR 

I hope it helps you out too!

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So here are some things I have been up to:

✯ Playing with modeling clay ✯

I LOVE playing with clay. I was introduced to it in college and after all these years since then, I finally stopped making excuses and just dived back into playing with clay again. I am so glad I gave clay and my enjoyment a chance again <3

(Left) These were little "stamps" that I used to get back into playing with modeling clay. After I got comfortable and confident again, I moved on to more complex 3D figures.

(Middle) My partner helped me smooth out the middle guy (the little figure in my palm) with sandpaper.

(Right) Sadly the very right guy broke his jaw and back-left leg and we had to hot glue him back. He was built with three legs and I adore him more with his new "battle scars"!!

I highly recommend playing with clay and if you find that you do not like what you make, you can shatter it and soak the clay in water to "restore" the clay again to mold and play! I got my modeling clay from my local dollar store : )

✯ Digital art explorations ✯

I started this year with reconnecting with my interests outside of "fandoms".

(Left) I decided to start a new illustration/poster of different mug shapes. I am not finished with it, but playing with textures and different shapes and designs have been so so very fun!

(Right) The right drawing is a Work-In-Progress of an OC-art from the end of last year. This features two of my characters, Mero and Danilo, cousins that are hanging out and chatting with their crushes <3

Note: the sillies ($5 tier) and the raffle sillies ($10 tier) on my patreon will be able to see the full WIPs above. No cutouts made.

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✯ Some of my 2025 art goals ✯

✯ More original artwork:

I want to explore more "original art" and less "fanart". I suffer from my relationship with my fanart and original art and how it is perceived in the world when I share either. It is tough when the artwork I make is mainly fanart and I do not think it should be separated from my original. All the art I make is in the end is my art, not a separate entity. In the end I am making the difficult choice to step further away from my fanart, mainly thanks to this video: https://youtu.be/5rFB3DQeywk?si=jwWkwXjAuHmXijJM&t=148 

The link is above if anyone is curious and in similar boat with sharing fanart vs sharing original art.

✯ More personal projects:

I want to make and finish my personal projects. I have a plan of working on finishing 1 personal project per month, with the intention that it is self-indulgent and follows a theme that I like. I intend to have AT LEAST 4 finished personal projects at the bare minimum by the end of 2025.

Some projects I have in mind art:

Illustration series

Stationary designs: Greeting cards, calendars, notepads

illustrate a short story

Product designs: mugs, stickers, shirts, etc

2026 art calendar

✯ Re-evaluate my current art social medias:

I have been feeling so disconnected and unmotivated with sharing my art on social media, mainly thanks to AI and the "content monetization" of posting artwork and playing along with the algorithm. I feel more than ever I am not cut out for social media with my art in this day and age, which is funny to me considering I have been sharing art online for over a decade already and was fully enjoying it before.

I have some plans and ideas of what to do next, I just fear losing -- losing what exactly and is it worth it?? Now that is what I am trying to answer.

Please note: I may suddenly disappear on my art social media accounts "ghostlymatte" on different platforms as I figure out what works best for me and what sparks the most joy in the process for me as an artist.

✯ Draw in my sketchbook more:

I love my sketchbook and the creative freedom I get from it, so this year I plan to implement time with my sketchbook 10 minutes minimum every day. It is also a great place to help me get my ideas out of my brain and into the physical world.

Oh how I adore my sketchbook <3

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Reminders:

✯ Expression of Me: a comic about my feelings being misgendered in public, is out and available to read and enjoy! 

✯ My updated and new patreon tiers are live!

We have a ($1) tip jar tier, ($5) sketchbook + wip tier, and ($10) monthly raffle tier!

Currently we have 1 patron on the monthly raffle tier, and we need 2 more patrons for the $10 raffle tier to start the monthly art raffles! : )

。✯ ＼｜／。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ ＼｜／。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

And yeah that is it!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy and follow along with the things I have planned for this year!! The world may seem dark and gloomy, but that does not mean we cannot stay softer, kinder, and sillier. We have to be, for our own mental health and to help spread the loving reminder that we are human. And isn't that just beautiful?

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