When You Don't Feel Ready for January, Do This.
Last week I wrote about not feeling ready for January's hype. About being tired. About questioning whether I had the energy for another fresh start when what I really needed was rest.
The responses I got were overwhelming. So many of you wrote to say "me too." You're exhausted. You're not sure you made any real progress last year. You're looking at everyone else's New Year energy and wondering if you're falling behind before the year even begins.
But here's what I've been thinking about since then: What if we're measuring progress all wrong?
What if, instead of looking ahead at what we haven't done yet, we looked back at what we actually accomplished? Not the big, Instagram-worthy moments. The real work. The unglamorous progress that happens when you're juggling three kids, working part-time jobs, managing a business, and still showing up for your creative dreams.
Because I want to tell you about someone who did exactly that in 2025.
Meet Janet Hild
Some of you might remember when I featured Janet Hild in my blog back in November 2024. She was at a crossroads in her creative journey, exploring what her "next chapter" might look like. She has this incredible background in commercial textile design, teaching at the master's degree level, freelancing, licensing. She'd won awards. She'd worked for major companies.
But after the 2008 recession hit the textile industry hard, she'd been piecing together a creative life that worked for her family. Teaching. Freelancing. Raising three kids. Trying to figure out what was next.
When she joined my Creative Business Mastermind, she was full of ideas but still figuring out how to pull them all together. She knew she wanted to teach artists and designers to experiment with different processes and techniques. She had this beautiful vision of sharing her unique approach to creative work. But the shape of it? That was still emerging.
That was just over a year ago.
Want to know what Janet accomplished in 2025?
A Complete Business Transformation
First, Janet rebranded her entire business under a new name: Ink + Sun.
Not just a logo change. A complete visual identity that captures everything she stands for as a designer. Her tagline says it all: "art to inspire happiness™" with "fabric & wallpaper designs for moms & makers."
Go to her website right now and you'll see what I mean. It's gorgeous. Cohesive. Professional. The kind of rebrand that doesn't happen overnight—it happens because you're clear about who you are and what you want to say to the world.
Her patterns are cheerful, nature-inspired, technically brilliant. Butterfly trellises in navy. Bee florals. Little roses in aqua. Each one shows her deep understanding of both the creative and technical sides of textile design. You can feel the decades of expertise in every repeat, every colorway, every thoughtful detail.
This is a woman who knows her craft.
From Creating to Teaching
But Janet didn't stop with the rebrand.
She created a series of textile design tutorial videos teaching advanced Adobe Illustrator techniques. Not beginner stuff—advanced techniques that come from years of professional experience in the industry.
She told me that she "loves to create activities for students". That she lights up when talking about teaching artists to experiment by using different processes, mixing different tools and techniques?
She actually did it.
She built those tutorials. She recorded them. She put them out into the world.
And here's what gets me: Janet did this while teaching at the master's degree level, raising three kids, and working part-time jobs. She found time to share her expertise because she knew other designers needed what she had to teach.
Into the Real World
The third thing Janet did in 2025? She took her work out of the digital space and into the physical world.
She participated in multiple art fairs, showcasing her physical products. Prints. Greeting cards. Tea towels. Notepads. The kind of beautiful, tactile goods that people want in their homes and gift to the people they love.
Art fairs are not easy. They require inventory. Display planning. Transportation. Setup. Hours of standing and talking to potential customers. Packing everything back up at the end of the day.
But Janet showed up. Multiple times. Because she believes in her work and she wanted to connect directly with the people who love what she creates.
What This Actually Looks Like
Let me paint you a picture of what progress really looks like.
It's Janet, probably at her kitchen table after her kids are in bed, working on her website rebrand. Choosing colors. Writing copy. Uploading images. Making decisions about how to present herself to the world.
It's her setting up to record tutorial videos, a multi-step process that’s not easy! No fancy studio and probably having to redo takes when someone knocks on the door or the dog barks or she forgets what she was going to say.
It's her packing up prints and tea towels for an art fair on a Saturday morning when she could have been sleeping in. Setting up her booth. Smiling at strangers. Answering the same questions over and over. Believing that her work deserves to be seen.
This is what progress looks like when you're balancing a creative business with everything else life throws at you.
It's not glamorous. It doesn't always feel like winning. But by the end of the year, you can look back and say: I rebranded my entire business. I created teaching content. I sold new, beautiful physical products and showed my work to the world.
That's not nothing. That's everything.
The Long Game
We can be so critical of ourselves and also impatient. Janet said something that's stuck with me: "Building a creative business is a long game."
We all need a reminder from time to time to enjoy the creative process and to recognize that monetizing art takes time. "There's no magic bullet. You're going to have fun, learn different things, move forward, and it’s important to enjoy the process."
She wasn't just giving advice. She was living it.
While other people might have been looking for the quick fix, the overnight success, the viral moment, Janet continues to play the long game. Rebuilding her brand. Creating content. Showing up at art fairs.
One year later, she has a business that reflects who she truly is.
Why This Matters to You
I'm sharing Janet's story because I think we need to redefine what progress looks like.
We live in a world that celebrates the highlight reel. The big launch. The six-figure year. The viral post. The "I quit my job and now I'm living my dreams" story.
But most creative businesses don't look like that. Most creative progress happens in small, unglamorous increments while you're living a full, complicated, beautiful life.
You rebrand while your kids do homework at the kitchen table.
You record videos between shifts at your part-time job.
You set up art fair booths on Saturday mornings when your body is tired but your spirit says "keep going."
And then, at the end of the year, you look back and realize: I actually did something. I moved my business forward. I showed up for my dreams even when I didn't feel ready.
Your January (Whether You Feel Ready or Not)
So if you're reading this in January feeling like you didn't accomplish enough last year, I want you to do something for me.
Make a list. Not of what you didn't do. Of what you actually did.
Did you finish one pattern when you thought you couldn't? That counts.
Did you update your website? That counts.
Did you post your work on social media even though you were scared? That counts.
Did you take one class, watch one tutorial, practice one new technique? That counts.
Did you show up for your creativity even when life was hard? That counts most of all.
Progress isn't always visible while it's happening. Sometimes you can only see it when you look back.
Janet wasn't trying to do everything at once. She was playing the long game. Making steady progress. Building something real.
And look where she is now.
Your Next Step
I want you to see what's possible. Not in a "you should do this too" way, but in a "this is what happens when you keep showing up" way.
Go visit Janet's website. Spend some time looking at her work. Read about her approach to design. Sign up for her newsletter and download her free PDF guide on texture tips for surface pattern designers.
Not because you need to be like Janet. But because seeing someone else's progress can help you recognize your own.
She's not superhuman. She's not doing anything you couldn't do. She's just staying in the game. Playing the long game. Showing up even when it's hard.
And that's exactly what I'm asking you to do this January.
Whether you feel ready or not.
Check Out Janet's Work
Visit Ink + Sun to see Janet's beautiful rebrand, explore her pattern portfolio, shop her physical products, and sign up for her surface pattern design tips.
Her tagline says it all: art to inspire happiness™.
Go get inspired.
xo, Anne
P.S. If you're in my Creative Business Mastermind reading this—you know who you are—this is your reminder that the work you're doing matters. The progress you're making counts. Keep going. I'm watching you build something beautiful, one small step at a time.
xo,
Anne
P.S. If you’d like something simple to work on while you find your footing this month, my From Doodles to Dollars® workbook is a beautiful place to start. It’s only $10 and it’s practical. It’s very step by step. And it gives you something real to dig into. The sense of joy and accomplishment you’ll feel when you create your first repeating pattern is a beautiful thing. It’s impossible to describe and I’d love for you to experience it.
You can download it here → From Doodles to Dollars® workbook
And remember…
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
If you enjoyed this blog please share it with your friends, family and creative colleagues. Check out my favorite resources by clicking the red button below.
The Creative Business Spark Podcast.
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Create your very first repeating pattern by following my Three Golden Rules. Grab this downloadable PDF workbook and get started today.
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Up level your surface pattern design skills and learn at your own pace in The Pattern Design Academy® Self-Study Program!
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
