Weeknote 12 – Reflecting on 2021
The sea helps me think. I’m sat looking out to sea thinking how much has changed in the last 12 months. A while ago, when I found out Lloyds were ending my contract a week early due to a contractor furlough period, I decided to book three nights away by myself.
Learning to live with the uncertainty of contracting has been a big learning for me these last few months. I’m glad I was able to convert my worry about reduced pay into a desire to embrace the ability to drink a pint at 3pm on a Tuesday at the seaside.
This time last year I was nearing the end of my time working on the Covid-19 vaccination booking service. I was stressed but proud. I was feeling sad to be leaving such a tight knit team but relieved to have some respite from the onslaught.
What followed was six more months at NHS Digital feeling and experiencing so many things. I felt lost in my day job, unsure how to make an impact in an organisation that didn’t deliver whole services. I was exhausted navigating dysfunctional commissioner relationships. Things then got worse. I was leant out to another Covid programme – quite possibly the worst run programme I’ve witnessed. It broke me. I had a week off and for the first time ever my tried and tested methods for improving my mental health failed. This was scary.
I resigned on a whim. After crying my way through 60 minutes of Lauren Currie talking about why women lack confidence – I sent the email. My partner and I were in the middle of buying our first home at the time. Our mortgage was not approved and our purchase was uncertain. This was also scary.
Joy grew out of tough times. I just needed something to feel happy about. Has anyone else found it much harder through Covid to really capture that true feeling of excitement and happiness?
While I launched the business around five months ago, I actually only incorporated it today. Yay! I’m really trying hard to remember that. This is day one. For the last five months I’ve been doing a full time job, not running a business.
2022 will be all about Joy – I hope in more ways than one.
Incorporating the business means no more Inside IR35 contracts and therefore hopefully far fewer ‘big orgs’. I’ve always felt much more at home working with and for small companies. That’s a conscious decision as I move into the new year.
The other thing I’ve noticed is that most of the interest I’ve had in Joy’s proposition has been from the charity sector. While I’m not going to limit my focus just yet I do see so much potential when it comes to helping charities align their brand with their service.
Another thing that’s top of my mind for the new year is retaining brand as part of Joy’s proposition. It’s the aspect many seem to have gravitated towards however I don’t want to do traditional branding work – I moved away from that eight years ago for a reason. I’m going to continue to explore how to sell the combination while experimenting with different types of work and being driven by what I enjoy.
A big part of this will be making the time to work on Joy as a business. I’d like to invest in some brand imagery – both photography and illustration. I’d also like to develop a pro-bono offer. A big part of putting time into the business will be getting into a routine in January. This will be self employment proper and I know I’m going to need structure.
As part of that structure I’d love to do more mentoring. If you’d like to grab a walk and talk in the new year feel free to book a slot.
In the meantime I feel proud to be going into the new year with three pieces of work I’m excited about:
- Co-design led graphic design for LGBT Birminghams’ Aging Better Programme
- Working with Zoe Amar Digital on a user insight led digital strategy project in the charity sector
- Collaborating with another small agency I really respect on a super exciting piece of work in the charity sector involving wire framing and prototyping — currently under NDA
These pieces of work are small and flexible, something I actively chose for the new year to allow myself time to develop the business and support my family through a challenging time. This selection of work also gives me variety and allows me to flex different parts of my skillset as I continue to experiment and refine Joy’s offer.
But in the meantime I have four weeks off. While this time will be uncertain due to Covid – it feels good to pause, reflect and get excited for the year ahead.
This year would have been much harder, without the support of the design industry I’m lucky to be part of. While the internet can be a dark place sometimes, Twitter has given me so much over the years. I’ve felt so much love and encouragement while making true friends. I’m grateful to you all – thank you for reading.
Happy holidays. Here’s to a joyful 2022.
