2020 surely brought struggles for everyone. But, at the same time, I'm sure we can all be grateful for at least one thing. Whether its something small like finally getting around to reading the book you've left, or finally finishing a game that's been sitting for a while. Maybe its something big like moving into a new place, or making a new online friend who just knows exactly what memes to send you at the right time. Cooking a new food, making a small craft, whatever it is, big or small, its something to be proud of!
However your 2020 was, I'm here to say I'm glad you're here reading this and made it through all the struggle and stress. I'm sorry if life threw you a bad card at one or more points, but I hope that you can feel happy still, or at the very least, feel ok! I hope we can look forward to the new year together, in hopes that it will be a better year for everyone!
In this blog post, I want to highlight the successes I made in 2020! I myself dealt with a LOT, but I am so very thankful for the good moments that happened. I am proud of myself because I always want to work hard and keep my brand going. I am so appreciative of every single person who has supported my business throughout this year. It means SO MUCH to me when I grab your order from my storage shelf, pack it all up, and include a note, a business card, a post card, etc. etc. Im appreciative for those who are watching my journey, who are leaving comments, who are reading my blog posts, and so on. Thank YOU!
Alright! Let's get this ball rolling! I'll include links to other blog posts, since they will be relevant to certain events!
BEGINNING OF 2020
The #1 Highlight of My Year: Attending BuriDeco and representing Canada in Japan!
I cannot stress enough how grateful I am to have had this opportunity and LUCKILY IT WAS BEFORE THINGS TURNED BAD IN THE WORLD!!! (It was actually right at the beginning of it, where the situation in Asia was getting worse)
WHEN LOCK DOWN BEGUN
Like many others, my full time workplace had to close until further notice. I was not working from the end April up until September. My brain shifted gears and said "Now I have a chance to focus on GHOST GIRL stuff!
Because staying at home was a very prominent thing, I took this chance to try and create more content for my blog. I started a series Then and Now timeline series, which will highlight the timeline of GHOST GiRL GOODS! I also started another series, where I asked other creatives about things they are proud of, the story of their brand/creations, and more. I learned a lot about others and it was a great way to share stories about other people to my GHOST GiRL community! I love to be able to support others and this was one way I could do it during these hard times!
You can read all the blog entries here: Mini Kawaii Interview
I created a digital fashion show to help keep people excited about fashion/my brand and it was SO COOL seeing everyone's personal style! I was so happy to see so many people join in!
MID YEAR
I started off the month of June with a contest! It as an open contest for people to interpret the GHOST GiRL family into their own creative vision! From make up looks to drawings, we received so many wonderful entries!
You can see all the entries here: GHOST GiRL'S Character Concept Contest Winners - #gggcharactercontest
I helped to host a Kawaii Tribe Session with Sebastian Masuda for Canadians!! It was a lot of fun and a great way to connect with my local kawaii community!
Related blog: Kawaii Tribe Session in Canada
My collaboration with Japanese brand NUEZZZ went LIVE!! A lot of work went into that collaboration and I am really happy with the design! Jun is great to work with and I missed seeing him in Japan this year, but I hope 2021 will allow me to travel back again and we can celebrate the collab together!
Related blog: NUEZZZ x GHOT GiRL GOODS Collaboration - DAY DREAMZZZ
I also hosted a Q and A session with Harajuku model and performer Kurebayashi! It was a fun evening shared with a group of kawaii enthusiasts from around the world. I really enjoyed being able to host another event where the community can come together to enjoy a special time!
Related blog: Q and A Session with Kurebayashi
I was supposed to be a guest at Yeticon this year and, since last year, I have been planning what Yeticon project I want to do. (I do a new Yeticon project every year!) This year, I thought it would be great to try and create a new yeti friend, who can help to represent me at Yeticon!! After discussing with the team, we introduced a new friend and had a contest to give her a name!
I think out of all the events that were cancelled this year, I was the most sad about Yeticon. There is something about this con that is just so special to me and every year that I go, I make the best con memories out of all cons! It just feels like at this con, I am the most happy because of several things in my life's yearly timeline! You can read her story here!: Yeticon x GHOST GiRL GOODS - New Yeti Friend!
END OF YEAR
GHOST GiRL, Holly, and LovelyLor team up with local dance wear company (aka GHOST GiRL and Holly's workplace) to create a new project to help the business during these hard times. Cream and Sugar Lolita is a project we hope will go well so it can keep the company afloat for a bit, and also provide lolitas with ethically made, size inclusive products.
Read about the whole project here: SPECIAL COLLABORATIVE PROJECT! - Cream and Sugar Lolita
I took part in Royal Vegas Online as their MC for 2 events: the Friday night pub trivia game and the fashion walk.
I also held a panel (that I wanted to showcase at Yeticon this year) about my brand and involvement with designers and the kawaii community!
It was a great weekend full of fun! You can check out the panels and events on the JFashion On Demand Twitch Channel!
Here is the link directly to my panel!: Discover YOUR Kawaii with GHOST GiRL GOODS
The last thing I did for this year was release a 2nd Digital Fashion show video! This one didn't have as many participants as the first one, but it was JUST AS FUN to make and really made me miss in person fashion shows. While I watched the premier, I was jumping and dancing and yelling out my friends' names the same way I would in a real show LOL (like backstage)
The last small thing I prepared was a drawing for the end of the year, including GHOST GiRL and Friends! Its from the perspective of my friends inside the car (thats why not the whole car is drawn)
This was just a for fun drawing that I wanted to make for the end of the year! When the whole crew gets in the car for a road trip...what would happen? Dako, being a bit too tall, seems to have to crouch in order to fit properly. GHOST GiRL yelling out "Are we there yet?" , "Can we make a pit stop?", "I NEED A SNACK ASAP!" and so forth. Pompoji just stares out the window, daydreaming about doing fun activities together with Dako! Pearla is checking up on her hair and make-up every 2 seconds. MUSIC MONSTAH is the driver and also is in charge of what music is being played for the drive! To be honest, I dont think they have a far journey ahead of them, but I also dont think they even have a destination in mind!
. . . and THATS A WRAP!
I'm so grateful for all these moments I had. I still got to share many of these moments with wonderful people, whether it was a few in person, or a community online. I'm happy to be here and I hope GHOST GiRL GOODS continues to grow and also help the community of kawaii fashion lovers around the world. If you read this all the way to the end, thank you so much for taking the time to do it. I appreciate your support a lot! Let's all go into the new year with a hopeful thought and look forward to some nice moments!!