Pine Turns Six!

Six. Whole. Years.

It’s been a bit of a wild ride so far.

I’ve run Pine Design Studio since 2015. It’s been through a few iterations. At times it’s been a lot of fun. And other times it’s looked like it was failing (see last year’s birthday blog post). But I think I’ve finally cracked it!  

This little business of mine hasn’t been easy to establish. And the past year has been a real eye-opener. Stressful at times, but well worth the grind. So here is a breakdown of the year’s highs and lows.  

Highs:

  • Busyness – 2021 has been my busiest year yet. At time’s it’s been a bit manic. But it’s certainly a good feeling to be busy.
  • Varied work – This busyness has brought a massive variety of work. I’ve branched out into working on a lot of motion graphics work as well as some brilliant branding projects and bespoke website projects.
  • Confidence – I’m not a very confident person. But this year has made me step up and ‘get shit done’. Being busy, and constantly interacting with clients has given me a new confidence and belief in my abilities.
  • Agency work – I’ve built up some really good relationships with other like-minded agencies/studios this year. And working with them has been amazing. It’s really kicked my creativity and drive into a new gear.
  • Outside of work, I met my partner Charlotte. She’s incredible. And we now live together along with our dog Nellie. This has to be the biggest change of my year. And it’s had such a positive impact not only on my life and my happiness but it drives me every day to work as hard as possible and push my business forwards.

Lows:

  • Admin – As a designer I’m not an ‘admin’ person. I’d rather be creating. This year’s busyness has created a lot more admin. But implementing a few new systems has ironed out some of the admin tasks so that I can have more time to create.
  • Lack of downtime – Work has always been on the brain this year. And sometimes that’s not a good thing. I haven’t had a lot of downtime. So at times I’ve felt a bit burnt out. This needs to change next year!

Future Plans:

  • More collaboration please – This ‘company of one’ requires some expansion next year. And, whether it means taking on another designer to help with the workload or just working with other great creatives, I’ll be on the hunt for more collaboration.
  • A new website launch – I’ll be focusing on re-designing and re-building the Pine website to align with my new projects, service offerings and ways of working.

As always, a massive thanks to my clients, suppliers and collaborators for the past six years of support. Without you I certainly wouldn't be able to create engaging and meaningful communication pieces.

And if you're a creative person and want any advice, guidance, or just someone to vent at then get in touch.

Enjoyed this article? Here's more for you.

The number 7 with a Peak District landscape
Pine Turns Eight!
Another year down. Pine celebrates its seventh year of existing.
Read more
A landscape of hills and sky in the Peak District
A Human And Transparent Approach To Branding
'Sustainability’, as a buzzword is now a given for all organisations. It’s finally become something that we expect from our lives and the organisations that we follow, buy from, and do business with.
Read more