An Announcement
I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I have decided to take a break from Web Design.
From today I will not be taking on any new clients, and will be finishing up the client work that I have been contracted to do, and will then be packing up my life for Canada.
I’m not sure if this break will be for 3-6 months or for much longer. I am going to reassess when when I have settled in and am ready to make better decisions. I have a few ideas on what I would like to do next year, but I will wait and see how they pan out after my trip across the USA.
If you have supported me in any way throughout this time, I want to say a big THANK YOU to you. I am incredibly grateful for the support I have had.
It’s time for me to take a break after nearly 4 years of being a small business.
Thanks again,
Dannielle
P.S. normal blog posts will resume soon.
Next Year
This is the time of year where people start asking about your business plans for next year. It’s less than a month to the new year after all. But if I answered honestly: I don’t know what my business plans are for next year.
I have some ideas, but with the big move and the travel that’s coming, I’m not entirely sure what’s on the business horizon. It scares me a lot that I don’t know, but I want to make these decisions with a clear mind and that’s something I do not have right now. I’m trying to finish up my web design for the year and get all the travel stuff organised and I’m thinking about a million and one other things that are making it hard to breathe.
That’s not the environment that I want to be setting my goals for 2013 in. It doesn’t mean that I won’t make any though. The thing travel for me, is that it clears my mind. It opens my thoughts to new ideas and opportunities. Well thought out clear ideas and the confidence I need to see them through. Not ones guided by fear or December 31 everyone-else-has-their-shit-together ideas. The latter has sent me on many a path I didn’t want to be on and I don’t want that for my first year in Canada.
I want to take the time to clear my head. To be inspired by things again. To breathe the fresh air and to laugh with good friends. That’s where the good ideas will spring from. I have my backup plans and I know who I can call on when the doubt comes in. But I really believe that trying to do it all now will not lead to the best outcome.
The things I know for now about next year: I want to write more. I want to take more photos. I want to laugh more and be inspired. I want to find new friends in what will be my new home. I want to make exercise part of my everyday – but not get obsessed about calories or take the fun out of food. I want to keep a connection with Australia through the wonderful people I know that live here.
This time last year Canada wasn’t even a thought that had crossed my mind, but it’s been my focus for 6 months now.
I think sometimes, one step at a time is perfectly ok. So maybe, if you’re finding it a bit overwhelming too, then you can get through the next few weeks not thinking about it and come back to it when your brain is clear and happy and you’re ready to think about it.
Make your own rules that work for you.x
the business cards
I designed some new business cards recently and they arrived this week. Anyone following me will know I agonised over them for about a month before I ordered them. They were going to be very different than before, so it was an experiment. 
The idea behind them was to share powerful travel/adventure/life quotes that I loved and wanted to share with the world. Most of them are quotes with authors, but a couple are ones that I came up with. I searched to find quotes that not only fit the image, but that fit well with me and my message.
It was also repositioning myself, as next year (at least for the first few months) I will be blogging and travelling, and I want my cards to reflect what’s coming next year. Primarily I wanted my cards to reflect what I hope this blog does: my passion for travel, taking big leaps and for living the life you really want to.
I wanted them to be a conversation starter and something that you could collect (if you so desired). Because I’m not 100% sure what’s on the horizon for next year, I kept the text side simple. My name, a basic title, email, blog address, a kindness project website, and social media. With some help, I finally decided on blogger, designer, traveller for my title. Yes, the spelling is Aussie, not US, but that’s the way I spell here on this blog and I knew it would bug me to look at the word spelled differently to the way I was taught.
I chose only 4 social media sites and listed my handle next to the icon that represents them. I chose 3 I love and one I’m still learning. I decided to include foursquare over facebook because a) it’s more travel related and I’m starting to enjoy it and b) I’ve never really got much traction on facebook and I’m not a big fan of the way it works at the moment. I’m not removing my facebook page, and will continue to update it, it’s just not my favourite of the networks, and there are now so many that you can choose the ones you love.
I hope people enjoy the business cards. I think they’ve turned out quite well. I love that they tell you a bit about me and show you my personality. I’ve done super clean professional, corporate-y type cards before, but these feel more like me. I will be taking them with me to Problogger and to Alt too. (Please let me know if you’d like one if you’re coming to either event)
I love that they turned out so fun!
