Wins and challenges for 2023

Every December as I prepare to take some much-needed vacation days, I look back at the highs and lows of the past year.

The wins from this past year:

  • 52 projects completed and a few already lined up for the new year
  • launched a LinkedIn newsletter
  • took a vacation!

I was aiming for 60 projects (5 per month), but had to turn away some work because I’ve been so busy. And a few of the projects were quite large and longer term.

Some of the challenges:

  • difficulty managing my social media posts
  • not enough time to spend on my own projects
  • unable to re-launch my online map shop this fall as planned

My challenges are mostly from too much work, which is a good problem to have. 🙂 I’ve realized I need to work on fewer projects so raised my rates a few months ago. I understand that some people can no longer afford my services but I do refer to other cartographers when that happens.

I also decided to reduce the amount of time I spend on social media as it’s not my strength, and am reducing the number of blog posts I write each year. I hope to reclaim some of that time and work on community projects, as well as personal projects and maps for my online shop. I took the shop offline in March when I migrated from Shopify to WordPress, and have been unable to find time to relaunch. A major goal for next year will be populating that shop again.

Here are some of the maps I’ve designed this year. Half of the projects were for book maps, and many projects were for multiple maps, so this is a small selection:

Map of conservation programs in Africa
Map of conservation programs in Africa
Map of North East France, Belgium, Germany 1919
Map of North East France, Belgium, Germany 1919
South Mississauga cycling map
South Mississauga cycling map
Map of steamship travel route
Map of steamship travel route
Map of Malta
Map of Malta
Map of districts in Upper Canada in 1802
Map of districts in Upper Canada in 1802
Map of Corvallis wineries, breweries, and distilleries
Map of Corvallis wineries, breweries, and distilleries
Map of the eastern front in WW2
Map of the eastern front in WW2
Greyscale map civil war Battle of Monocacy Junction
Map of Battle of Monocacy Junction
Eastern Oregon tourism districts
Eastern Oregon tourism districts
Map of Winnipeg in 1880
Map of Winnipeg in 1880
Map of Manitoba 1870
Map of Manitoba 1870
Map of the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line and ecoregions
Map of the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line
Map of Harpers Ferry
Map of Harpers Ferry
Historical map of Village of Towanda
Historical map of Village of Towanda
Greyscale map of upstate New York for history book
Map of upstate New York for history book
Map of YKK company locations
Map of company locations
Map of mines for green energy minerals
Map of mines for green energy minerals
Map of Ontario Grower member locations in Niagara
Map of Ontario Grower member locations in Niagara
Map of Northern Stores locations
Map of Northern Stores locations
Tourist map of Kingsville Ontario
Tourist map of Kingsville Ontario
Map of Sitkalidak Island and Refuge Rock in Alaska
Map of Sitkalidak Island and Refuge Rock in Alaska
Map of rental properties map for Langley BC
Map of rental properties map for Langley BC
Map of Sullivan and Ulster Counties in New York
Map of Sullivan and Ulster Counties in New York


I will be taking some time off before and after the holidays to rest and recharge, and jump right back in to some projects in progress in the new year, along with a few already lined up. I tend to get a lot of requests right before Christmas, so I anticipate another busy winter.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Please follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook

To make sure you don’t miss the next blog post, sign up to my newsletter to receive news and updates.