In the past, I posted about recapitulation. Sometimes I say to myself, I didn’t get much done today, but then I sit down, take a deep breath and think about my day and what I actually did. This process really helps me relax and feel some sort of accomplishment. To do this for the year can be very rewarding.
TIP: Looking through your phone’s photos by MONTH really helps you “remember” the highlights! Here’s my year in review.
January for me is usually about the old cliche of setting goals and starting the year by setting the tone of how you want life to be. It’s about cleaning up, taking stock, minimizing and organizing. I love to create newness in my life so I launched a marketing campaign for my Stencil1FX makeup stencils with 30 makeup artists. Seeing their work was just so fun and rewarding.
In February I created a mural for Black History Month for my client Chalk Gyms, using you guessed it, chalk.
Also, I geared up for the Midwestern superstore chain, Meijer, to feature a larger offering of Stencil1 products in store. I was also deep into planning for their Pride selections in June.
March was when I got to get out of the house more with my creative friends. Spring weather will do this in New York. Patrón invited my friend Ian and I to a cultural event, Residencia Patrón, highlighting the artisans of Mexico and serving their premium tequila. So inspiring, I love all things Mexico and am forever inspired by this country and its people…
…so in April I took a little time off to warm up in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I don’t think anything good comes when the body and mind are stressed, and so this after-winter break was the perfect recharge.
In May I was invited by Meta to Washington, DC, for their Meta Boost Gather Conference. A highlight of the conference was meeting with Senator Gillibrand’s office to discuss small business needs and current legislation. I met so many entrepreneurs using Facebook and Instagram to help grow their businesses, so grateful to be a Leader in the Meta Group!
June is our month! As a gay-owned business, Pride is a big deal to us. Stencil1 kicked off June with a bevy of appearances for Pride month as retailers were eager to celebrate. I designed another custom mural for Chalk Gym of icon and gay liberation hero, Marsha P. Johnson.
Meijer launched a special Stencil1 collection of Pride stencils.
This was a fun one–I also appeared on air with QVC as part of their Small Business Spotlight to celebrate LGBTQ+-owned small businesses. QVC’s “guy with an eye for style” Alberti Popaj and I chatted about stencils and running an independent business. I can’t believe I was on QVC and I hope to do more of this in 2023!
I hosted a Pride DIY event with Moxy Hotel Times Square. Guests sipped on cocktails while customizing bandanas with Stencil1 stencils.
During Pride weekend in New York City, Stencil1 was featured at the Soho Levi’s store, customizing denim with our suite of Pride imagery and other Stencil1 favorites.
After all that, July was a time for rest and inspiration. I flew to Spain and Portugal to recharge my creative juices. Barcelona is one of my favorite places–the tile, the architecture, the food, the sea, the energy, the attitude and life balance.
Once back, August and September were all about prepping for the Halloween season—Stencil1’s biggest sales period. September and October again proved to be our biggest money makers as the makeup stencils really shine during this time. People love to dress up and the makeup stencils are the perfect touch to accentuate a costume. Also in October, I personally got in my studio more and worked on artwork that I hope to build up for a show in 2023.
November had two surprising events as well. Amazon reached out to me and asked that I lead a card-making DIY class at their holiday event highlighting small businesses. They featured our stencils their Amazon Holiday Gift Guide!
AND Lowe’s invited Stencil1 to their 2022 Into the Blue: Lowe’s Product Pitch Event in Charlotte, NC. They decided to pick up Stencil1 stencils and other new products that will be launching in 2023! I loved Charlotte, loved the Lowe’s people I met and of course the good news to reach more customers.
To cap off the year, I made a December appearance back at Levi’s for their Holiday Customization Workshop. 10 artists in 10 cities were invited and I helmed the NYC Soho shop.
So to that person on New Years who says, Well, this year sucked, let’s hope next year is better, maybe recapitulation will help them see that it wasn’t all bad.
And PS: Of course I didn’t share the stomach bugs I had, the car accident I was in, or the many challenges of running a small business, but I like to put out positive energy, practice the law of attraction and move forward, doing my best to do what I do best, paint and inspire people to take some time to be creative. Peace! Ed
Paul Munoz
Look at you go!