Happy 2022 New Year! 🎉🎊🍾
I thought I’d take a moment to reflect briefly on what my favorite 2021 projects were, and share a little about what’s coming in 2022.
So, the big thing for 2022 is that life is looking like it might return to something more resembling normal — or at least, normal-hopeful. “Normal” in my line of work (crafting is not my full-time job, as much as I wish it were) means traveling the world. Prior to 2020, my work would take me all over the world, both speaking at and sponsoring tech conferences. I’m hoping that 2022 will bring a little of that back, always prioritizing safety of course!
I’ve already got a couple of in-person conferences on the books for early 2022, and we’ll see how the year shapes up from there.
(Crafting-wise, heavy travel generally means a significant slowdown on crafts and hobby projects, but hopefully it won’t be too much.)
My Favorite 2021 Projects
I made a lot of things I really liked in 2021, but my absolute favorite projects are below:
Miyazaki-inspired Dioramas
Technically, the Miyazakeyboard was a 2020 project. My next Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli inspired projects were the mini dioramas and the No Face Smorgasboard. Both of these were extremely fun projects that were completed in early 2021. They really stretched my diorama-making skills and I learned a lot while making them. I love displaying these pieces of physical art on my desk.
Catnap Resin Artisan Keycaps
I made many, many new artisan keycap sculpts in 2021, but Catnap is an especially fun one to resin cast. I especially like making tabby kitties. Catnap is also just a really satisfying keycap to use on an actual keyboard!
Renewal Nest Resin Artisan Keycaps
Renewal nest artisan keycaps were never particularly popular with viewers / buyers, but they might be my personal favorite (resin mold) keycap sculpt to date. I learned a lot about sculpting specifically for mold-making and resin-casting on this sculpt. Many molds were destroyed, and even the original clay master sculpt is no longer usable. But I learned so, so much — and now can pass on that knowledge to other artists who want to learn how to make keycaps!
So Many Soup Charms!
For a little while, I definitely went on a soup-making binge. I leveled up my tiny soup charm game quite a bit during this time, and now have a healthy stock of charms to take to a craft show someday — hopefully!
Secret Santa Sale 2021
In December of 2021, I ran a “Secret Santa” Sale. Participants would send me some information about themselves — their tastes, interests, what they’re into — and they chose an amount they’d like to pay (from $15-100 USD). I then used their information to create a set of custom gifts for them.
This was the most fun I’ve ever had doing a sale, and it was much more enjoyable than doing classical commissions. I was able to come up with ideas for gifts and exercise creativity while still creating something aligned with the interests and likes of the buyer.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Artisan Keycap Set
My absolute favorite 2021 project was the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild number pad artisan keycap set. This was, hands-down, the craft project I had the most fun working on in 2021. As people who know me are probably very aware, I especially love making matched sets.
(I’m also excited to unveil the theme for my next in-progress matching set for early 2022!)
What’s Next in 2022?
I try not to buy too much into the New Years resolutions because I so often end up disappointing myself. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I might be really, really busy this year with work priorities if things start to go back to normal. I do, however, have some things I really want to do.
Shop Update
I’ve made a lot of new things recently, and would like to list a substantial number of new products in the shop.
Finish “How To Make Resin Artisan Keycaps” Tutorial Series
One thing I’d really like to find time to do is finish my blog series on How to Make Resin Artisan Keycaps. I wrote Part 1 – Getting Started and Minimum Equipment and Part 2 – Sculpting a Keycap Master in 2021, and I have the outlines and photos ready for Part 3 (making silicone molds), Part 4 (resin casting), and Part 5 (finishing). I just never got around to fleshing those articles out.
Since I published the first two tutorials, I’ve had many people reach out to me to ask questions. In early 2022, I’d like to carve out time to finish the tutorial series.
Mihi’s Next Artisan Keycap Set – Avatar: The Last Airbender
On January 1, 2022, I started working on my next matching keyset of mixed media artisan keycaps. The theme for this set is Avatar: The Last Airbender. I have a long list of ideas I’m collecting in Trello for this set. Some of them won’t come to pass (many Zelda and Studio Ghibli ideas fell by the wayside too), and I have yet to decide the composition of the set. (Top row? Number pad? Macropad? Other?)
Regardless, I’m excited to continue working on this keycap set. If you’d like to keep up with new Avatar keycaps and updates, you can follow me on Instagram at @mihi.mini.studio. There are a lot of Appa face keycaps out there in the world already, and I can promise you that this set will not include one! 😛
This set is going to challenge me significantly because a lot of my ideas lend themselves well to 3D printing, but I always sculpt by hand when doing these types of sets. The lack of 3D printing will really force me to scale up my miniaturecraft and my tiny, tiny sculpting skills.
Sell Something at a Craft Fair
I would love to actually sell something in person at a craft show, convention, or exhibition. I’ve only ever sold online (or given gifts in person, no exchange of money with strangers). In 2022, I would love to have a little table or stand at a craft fair.
The pandemic might still continue to delay this, but I’ve been continuing to withhold stock from my shop with the dream to do an in-person craft fair someday!
Thank you!
That’s it for now, folks — thank you so much for supporting me by visiting my website and reading this blog! I wish you all an amazing 2022. Sometimes I’m a bit slow to update my website, but you can follow me on Instagram for more regular news, or subscribe to my newsletter to be notified when something substantial happens.