2025 … what happened?

Plans only ever get you so far … I guess ;). 

2025: Plans only ever get you so far … I guess ;). 

The plan for 2025 was to return to IT work after the summer break, earn enough money to make a move up north possible, create some passive income streams, and keep working on art and writing. None of that went quite as expected.

January / February

I expected to return to IT work after the summer break. Instead, I spent weeks thinking about passive income streams—specifically YouTube videos and tutorials. After buying more video gear and mucking about for weeks on end, I gave up on the idea. The “just start” approach is a hard ask for perfectionists. I shelved the project, deciding to build up a set of written tutorials on my blog first. Even with a move up north looking more unlikely, I need to get the house in shape to sell and finished the access stairs to the section.

March / April

After the summer break stretched from weeks to months, it became increasingly clear that IT contract work wasn’t coming my way. Over the last two years, the economic downturn in New Zealand spiralled; the job market in Wellington collapsed after the government sacked thousands of people; and the housing market plummeted. A move north became impossible for now. Time to rethink. I decided to apply to art shows to move forward with my art projects—the only show still open for application was Queenstown. I applied and got accepted. Making artwork for regular shop updates became easier and fell into a good routine, including finally publishing more fine art prints. The shed roof needed urgent repairs. I built a new gate, and we restored the fence to the council walkway.

May / June

The middle of the year is honestly a bit of a blur. Online sales remained nonexistent. My ducks refused to stay in line, running in different directions instead. I had to push the release of The House, my second book, out to December. I remember getting very close to giving up, but you can learn more from completing a doomed project than just giving up. So I stuck with it while also looking into an audiobook production of The Fragments, my first book, including recording the first sound bites for my YouTube channel.

July / August

I shifted focus back to the Queenstown art show. I hadn’t taken part in art shows for the last ten years—and never in one so far away—so it was a steep learning curve. Mainly around organising transport and shipping, and constantly second-guessing what I was doing. I finished levelling the small building platform at the front of the section and built a fence to the fruit forest from offcuts. Then I spent the rest of the time trying to keep the weeds at bay and the trees pruned while painting the hallway.

September / October

Any attempt to get back into printmaking failed. I fell back on making paper mache critters for the Queenstown show, which brought a whole new challenge: how to display them on a wall. I muddled through in a blur and managed to be halfway ready. The costs—getting to Queenstown, the hotel, shipping—meant I barely covered my expenses. There’s a lesson in there somewhere. Instead, I painted the bedroom. 

November / December

I somehow managed to get the eBook edition of The House out in a mad scramble, which left me with a lot of navel-gazing and second-guessing. Which is mostly where I am now. Luckily, I don’t really have time for it—there’s artwork to be made for the Wellington Art Show, a paperback that needs illustrations, and an audiobook that needs finishing.

I still don’t feel up to looking for IT work, but my savings are running low. I’ll muddle through to March 2026—nothing is going to happen before that in Wellington anyway—and then look into options … or something :).

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