Oh hey there, 2012, where'd you come from?

Happy New Year!

Thank you for following my blog this past year! I'm hoping to gain more followers here and on my Facebook Page in the new year, so please share with friends and anyone who you think might be at all interested! I'll work on finding time to make it a little more interesting, too. Hoping to add more content to both locations, and try some new things to keep you all entertained! Any thoughts, leave me comments, I'd love your feedback.

2011 seemed to fly by. It was a really busy year, primarily consumed by My Maine , which we launched/released in Feb, and then Down East in the Ocean, which came out just a few months later. They have both been equally well received, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome of both. I was really proud of Suzanne (Buzby Hersey) and I, on My Maine being our first book for both of us. It's always been perfection working with her, and I can't wait to start a new one together (My Massachusetts, coming soon?). Down East Enterprises were so pleased with Down East in the Ocean that they immediately signed me up for another book project, which was really exciting and made me think, okay...I might actually have something here. So my third book, Journey of the Sea Glass, will be released in July, 2012!

Summer was filled with book signings and sales, some more successful than others, but even the not so successful events were fun, and I learned a lot from fellow illustrators at many of them, and got lots of mini vacation trips and adventures with Dave out of it, so they were never a total loss. This year I'll be more selective in choosing which events to attend, though. I learned that I don't have to say yes to everything, and that when promoters say it will be "publicized and well attended", there's always a small chance that they might be fibbing.

I met a lot of wonderful artists and writers this past year. Whether it was at group Down East events, the MEIC (Maine Illustrators Collective) or virtually, in an online forum, I really enjoyed picking the brains of all the talented and helpful illustrators who have been in this business longer than I. I'm appreciative for all of them, who were so willing to answer questions and offer advice, or even chat on the phone, even if they hardly knew me. It's a pretty special bunch who are in this crazy little business of ours.

Some new kinds of projects too, like the mural! Got a little exposure on the local news, and it was great fun and a good time with my sister, sis in law, and my mom, and a good deed. And a super quick assignment that came my way from a graphic designer good friend in a pinch, for Girl Scouts of America, where I got to play with the silhouetted style, which I had always wanted to dabble in. There were also a few weddings to attend and babies to welcome last year, thus, some handmade gifts. I rediscovered my love for monogram illustrations, and brainstormed possibly a new little side venture. More on that this year (hopefully)!  ; )

My budding little business certainly wasn't all fun and games though, in 2011, that's for sure. I learned plenty of lessons the hard way, and I'm not going to lie, there may have been a few minor breakdowns of "what the f*** is wrong with people!!?" and "I'm just not good enough"s, but I'm fortunate to have people around who always pull me out before I slip too deep into the stress and frustration. I know now that a person's word--whether spoken, in an email, or apparently, sometimes even in a binding contract (!!)-- doesn't always stand true. So cover your ass, and don't let them take you for a drag through the mud. That every little thing needs to be spelled out, or you could end up losing money. There needs to be a better word than "overwhelmed", because that doesn't always cover it. That a quick little project for friends can turn into a big loooooooong project for friends (but is still worth doing in the end). And to always put a strainer cover in the sink when you clean your pens at the end of the night, or you may watch $28 go down the drain. Literally.

Overall, it was a really exciting year for Nicole Fazio Illustration! 

Cheers to the next! 

Time for Dave and I to go hop into the tropical Maine ocean waters and wash away 2011  :)