It’s a tradition that people make lists, goals, and resolutions every year. Most of the people out there don’t even go through with it, and just list the same goals for the next year, and the next year, and so on. I’m also guilty of that as well. This year I actually conquered a good amount of last year’s goals. This is what I had last year. The ones in italics, are the ones that I accomplished
pay off my car
look for a new car
buy/design a custom desk
add new names to the client list
do trade shows
do horror conventions
do more custom garments for both Electric Zombie and Grave Takers
See lots of movies (even the bad ones)
cut back on band design and possibly ditch one of the 3 “jobs” I have to focus more on my brands
start packing my own orders and hiding treats and notes in them?
design and print more posters for Electric Zombie
More Accessories DAMMIT!
Play the drums more
buy an arcade/pinball machine
pay off my debts / pay ahead on bills to where all I have to pay for is my house every month
Finish Movie room attached to my office
Buy a new tv bigger than 60 inches, the 50 inch isn’t cutting it
start collecting new toys
buy more books
take more pictures
travel more
vacation with Adam Elmakias
get a passport
be a little nicer (maybe)
eat more pizza
Not too bad I must say! This year’s goals aren’t as long, but still massive goals. Lots of them are personal and not really work related, as I feel like right now is where I want to be with my career and the pace I am taking.
- Finish off the fence in the yard
- Finish movie room / attic
- Look for a van for shows
- Do way more shows
- Pay off most if not all my debt
- Work with new bands/companies
- Make the New Found Glory, Pop Punks Not Dead Tour book
- Book of my design work over the years
- Electric Zombie Book
- Be more active / work out more
- Go on toy hunts (thanks toy hunter!)
- Save more money
- Work on more packaging and extras for Grave Takers and Electric Zombie
- Buy more toys
- See more movies, if it looks decent, see it
- Look for a new car
- Get a pinball machine
- Buy a 60+ inch tv
- Take more pictures
- Get a passport
I would have to say last year’s biggest accomplishment was getting new clients. I can’t remember the amount of shirts I did last year, and client’s I worked on. Both years in a row I took a bunch of time off. Last year I took off 5 months total, this year I took off 4. I accomplished quite a lot, compared to last year. This year, I had 298 shirts approved, this isn’t as much as 2010, but I’ll take it! I worked on 70 clients this year, and 45 of them being new clients. 45! that’s over half. Insane! I’d say I demolished that goal I placed for myself.
This year was a super critical year in my life. I took the freelance plunge and decided to focus more on my brands, do more shows and conventions. For the most part it’s paid off. Most of the conventions I’ve done have been flops. But you live and you learn and I’ll be more prepared next year. I let my guard down and trusted people, only to feel the need to go back to the Stone Cold Steve Austin mentality, DTA, all the way. Don’t Trust ANYBODY. I will be doing things more on my own and relying on nothing but myself. It got me this far, and I let that guard down a little this year, and I definitely paid that price. NOT AGAIN! As far as the shows, it’s a huge learning experience and you really don’t know til you try. Just like riding a bike, you gotta fall and scrape your knees a few times before you really get the hang of it. I will be focusing a lot of my time on that this year and most likely the next.
This year I was able to sort of create myself a new style that I am very excited about. I am known for a few different things and styles and techniques and I was able to take 4 of them and merge into 1 killer style/ look. Texture, color, the obeyish style, and typography and BLAMO! Usually my pieces are focused on 1 maybe 2 of these elements. These designs are super time consuming, but way worth it.
Here are my top 12 designs I did of 2012 for bands. There were a few that I wish I could add, so many designs I am super proud of and into this year.

There were so many bands I loved working with this year. Some of my best and favorite clients were; Young Guns, This Or The Apocalypse, Heartist, Glass Cloud, Deftones, Alkaline Trio, Anberlin, Asking Alexandria, New Found Glory, Yellowcard, We Came As Romans, Tonight Alive, Motionless In White, Silverstein, Miss May I, For Today, The Devil Wears Prada, Paramore, and Fright Rags. I hope to do more work with them next year. Or Tomorrow, or, whatever, haha.
I’m hoping that next year will bring me some more work from bands I’ve worked with in the past and just haven’t in the past year or so. Bands like; The Word Alive, Transit, Texas In July, Set Your Goals, Sense Fail, Rise Against, Protest The Hero, Oh Sleeper, Norma Jean, Coheed, Chiodos, A Day To Remember, Alesana, As I Lay Dying, Bad Religion, Blink, Between The Buried and Me, Our Last Night, Conditions, Dance Gavin Dance and HIM.
People always tell me that I work and design for everyone. There’s still a pile of bands I haven’t worked on yet. I’m hoping that next year, might change that for me. I ahve yet to design for the following; AFI, Amity Affliction, Bring Me The Horizon, You Me At Six, Architects, As Cities Burn, Bloc Party, The Chariot, Comeback Kid, Crosses, Dashboard Confessional, The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Early November, Further Seems Forever, The faint, Flood Of Red, Face To Face, The Get Up Kids, Gideon, Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, Say Anything, Linkin Park, Make Do and Mend, Misser, Manners, Marilyn Manson, Muse, New Politics, Now Now, Pennywise, Parachute, Periphery, Russian Circles, Moving Mountains, Sleeperstar, The Starting Line, Sum 41, Walk The Moon and Weezer. SEE! There’s a lot I haven’t worked on!
Next year, like this year, will be a crucial year. I was able to put out some of the best custom items for both brands, as well as designs. Bringing the brands out in the public more, and took a bunch of time to start being more hands on. I set the bar on many different levels this year, and I need to continue to do so. Set the bar and raise at the same time. It’s going to be a rough and rewarding one, I can feel it. Or maybe I just to poop. Or maybe both? TIME WILL TELL!
Your Fiend,
Kyle