2022 Retrospective & 2023 Goals

Continuing in this practice I started in 2021, it’s time to review how I did on my 2022 goals and set some new ones for 2023!

2022 was an interesting year, starting with the excitement of finally becoming homeowners (the Millennial dream!) and all the stresses that come with that. Below are all the goals I had set for myself and their status.

2022 Goals: Overall 77% Accomplished

Much better than 55% completion for 2021! I think cutting down total number of goals helped make this a lot more manageable. I had forgotten about my self-shoot goal to be honest, so that’s why those numbers are lower than they could be, especially toward the end of the year.

Considering that I dove hardcore into fic writing starting in June (no, I will not share my writing alias here lol), I’m pretty pleased with the amount of cosplays I was able to do in 2022. I also had the one non-cosplay goal of practicing more music, which I did indeed accomplish! I played guitar and piano, not to mention wrote three songs for the fandom I’m in. (Again, sorry, not sharing that alias here. Two separate lives!)

Craftsmanship: 75% Accomplished

• Finish Kena cosplay (just missing her staff) ✅
• Learn how to use serger ❌
• Learn how to use soldering iron ✅
• Make a basic LED light circuit ✅

Show Your Work: 83% Accomplished

• Cosplay build post for each new cosplay
  • Kena staff ✅
  • Tammy ✅ (kind of. I don’t have a blog build post but I have a Twitter thread and IG story highlight.)
• Timelapse / build video for at least half of all 2022 cosplays
  • Kena staff ✅ – considering I only had two builds in 2022 (Kena and Tammy), this counts as achieved!
• Self-shoot once per month*
  • January ❌
  • February – ✅ Kena, Sailor Neptune
  • March – ❌
  • April ❌
  • May – ✅ Kena
  • June – ✅ Mei Lee with Fairchild Cosplay; and with BlackBettieCos & Midnight Pursona
  • July – ✅ Astrid
  • August – ✅ Quinn (OC), Joy Wang (EEAAO)
  • September – ✅ Tammy
  • October ❌
  • November ❌
  • December ❌

Competition (covid permitting): 100% Accomplished!

• Enter one contest for craftsmanship (Master’s division now!) ✅
  • Kena @ Nishi Fest 2022 – Judge’s Award!
• Enter one contest for performance ✅
  • Seraphine @ Anime Frontier

Stretch goals: 50% Accomplished

• On-location shoot once per quarter ✅
  • Q1 – Kena shoot with Mehreen in March
  • Q2 – Kena self-shoot in June
  • Q3 – Astrid with Kasey in September
  • Q4 – Mae with Floofy in October
• Win a Best-in-Show ❌

Bonus Accomplishments!

• Got first ever Sponsored cosplay with Tammy from I Was a Teenage Exoclonist!

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2023 Goals

Similar to 2022, I intend to keep my 2023 goals shorter and more manageable. I’m also going to be keeping a lot more closer to the vest, so I won’t be going into some specifics. I’ve told one person to hold me accountable, but I’m not sharing details until I get deeper into the actual work so that I don’t get that quick dopamine hit just from announcing it. I’m also removing the monthly self-shoot goal. It’s too stressful.

2023 Cosplay Goals

• Craftsmanship
  • Start and finish secret build
  • Learn how to use the serger
• Show Your Work
  • Build post on blog for secret build
  • Youtube timelapse video for secret build
  • Twitter build thread for secret build
  • Instagram story highlight for secret build
• Competition
  • Enter a cosplay contest in both craftsmanship + performance
  • Stretch goal: Judge another contest
• Stretch Goals (same as 2022)
  • On-location shoot once per quarter
  • Win a Best in Show

2023 Non-cosplay Goals

• Music
  • Continue practicing
  • Finish fandom EP (3ish tracks?)
• Writing
  • Finish big WIP fic
  • Finish one of the other two WIP fics
• Health
  • Be more active than 2022 (which will be pretty easy considering how terrible I was about exercise last year once Summer hit)
  • No soda with dinner because it messes with sleep schedule!
  • Continue masking and distancing
• House projects
  • Finish decorating WFH office
  • Paint accent wall in craft room
  • Stretch goal: Decorate craft room wall after accent wall is done

So you’ll see for 2023 I’ve really simplified my cosplay goals. It’s all centered around one big secret build. I wanted. todo this because 1) I very much want to win Best Masters and/or Best in Show this year 2) I want to give myself the room to allow myself time for other creative pursuits outside of cosplay. Writing has been extremely rewarding for the past six months—I averaged 1,100 words daily and wrote a total of 212k words—and I would like to continue that. Not only has it reignited a love I had long before cosplay, but it opened the door to a new community with people I’ve never met before since I’ve been so focused on cosplay. The fandom community I’ve joined has been such a wonderful change of pace and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Here’s hoping 2023 brings new opportunities, new friends, and new experiences!