2020 - Taking a step back to take 16 forward

Opportunities and connections lead us to paths unforeseen. Just 2 years ago if you asked me what I would be doing forever, I would have said I was going to be a full time retoucher and educator. However, here we are today where I’ve decided to make retouching for clients the smallest part of my life, only managing a handful and not taking on any more. And now, I’ve decided to put workshops on hiatus.

Why would I do that?
So much has opened up for me in such a short time that I need all the time possible to execute my goals and nurture my current unforeseen growth. I sat down and asked myself, “What else is possible?” A phrase I learned from my dear friends the Belluso family. They’ve inspired me to really push my limits. I asked myself what I want to focus on most in 2020 and beyond. I believe transparency is important especially when these decisions entwine with those that I help shape through education.

2020-2022 Goals

Within my contract, I still have to complete the remaining couple of workshops I have left for 2020. Before and after, here are the goals I have set for myself for the next couple of years.

1. My Role As Infinite Panels CEO
Just over a year ago, I launched Infinite Color Panel and Infinite Black and White. It changed my life and the life of others like an asteroid hurling to Earth. The Earth being my retouching career. It financially made more sense to focus on the panels even over all my other pursuits combined. So much so that it became a no-brainer to put everything else aside to focus on it, to nurture the relationship and give it the love it needs. People voted that they wanted it, and they wanted to see even more. So I adjusted to match. And honestly, I was also a lot more passionate about seeing it succeed than anything else, so it was met with the same excitement. It still continues to grow tremendously!

So it was a two way street. It became obvious that I have to put as much time into as possible to nurture it and not doing so would be foolish. Now we have business partners and employees for this operation and it’s going to grow even more.

It allowed me to produce the brand new Infinite Texture Panel with my business partners. Between our team, we have so many other ideas and I want to strike when the iron is hot. I am determined to change the face of Photoshop and the creative industry as people are hungry for real tools that they don’t even know they want yet, and want to waste no time doing so.

2. Health
Over the last 10 years of being a creative, my health has taken a tremendous toll and has come to a head at 29. So much so that I cannot set it aside any more. The additional free time is much needed to focus on ME again and fix what’s broken. I’ve made progress but to get back to feeling my best, I need time. I also have fostered an online community around health and really want to continue building that as it’s a passion that came even before retouching!

3. Traveling for the sake of traveling and working from different locations.
I rarely travel just to travel, and I’ve always wanted to. Each place I’ve been, it’s been for something retouching related. I don’t regret that at all and I am very grateful. I want to travel to take my office to a different location, and to shoot and connect with local talent. Basically living in different places just to do it and have the freedom of my own schedule. It can open up so many possibilities.

4. DNA of Retouching Gallery Showing
I haven’t had a chance to do a personal project I wanted to do for 4 years now. It’s DNA of retouching! After posting my first one, it received real gallery interest (https://www.instagram.com/p/BxZD2M_hBAU/) and I want to do a series and see where it leads me. It may end up globally and want to do it before someone else does. I feel it can be successful if I make even more of them.

5. YouTube channel growth
In 2020 I am setting a road map of how I will utilize YouTube and begin hiring producers and team to push more content regularly onto the biggest platform online. I love video and it’s something I want to focus on.

6. A continuation of The Retouching Series
TRS was released almost at the same time as Infinite Color and it has also provided amazing opportunities for me. Almost similar to Infinite Color. The reach of students it had in one day has been more than me teaching in person for over 10 years. And the opportunities it granted me was equal to it. I have plans to elaborate on it and create more content that people have been requesting that I just haven’t been able to do! All my education will solely be online for the time being.

7. Building my photography and providing education
Once I stopped retouching for others, I began shooting more. It has been fruitful and I love it so much! I want to do more of it and see where it leads me, do personal projects, and so much more.

8. Producing content for Bella Kotak
Bella is someone who has so many ideas that she wants to accomplish including videos, personal projects, and pieces for galleries that she needs to plan. I want to be able to help her plan, film on location, and be there to help her with her own ventures, retreats, and more. She has a personal project in mind that I feel can truly spread across the world.

9. New Online Platform
Bella’s Fine Art Actions is a color grading platform that is about to change form very soon. I will be playing a part in helping her push that out into the world as a producer, marketer, and manager.

10 New education website
On top of TRS, I have a brand new idea that will change the shape of online education for retouching that goes beyond me. It will open up opportunities for other creatives and give back to them. I can’t say much, but 2020 will start the groundwork for it.

11. Investing and real estate businesses
I learned that it’s not what you make or save, but it’s what you invest. With the recent growth of my businesses, I have spent my time in investments and it’s been paying off. I will use the additional time to grow that further and diversifying and educating myself further.

12. Finding my new forever home base with my wife Bella
On the same token, Bella and I are about to find where we’re going to be settling down. But for the past 2 years we’ve been so busy we still have no clue what’s happening with us. With finding a home base, it takes time, travel, and effort to find exactly where we want to be and I want to spend our time finding the right base for our dreams to flourish with a beautiful studio space within! You’re all welcome to join.

13. Infinite Conference
With the expansion of business, 2020 and 2021 will see my communities grow and showcase opportunities that I can finally build, including a full conference that I will help produce with the help of my team.

14. Retouching Retreats
I really enjoy my retreats that I do. I will be continuing to do more of them as a means to connect with other creatives as we socialize together in different places and get to meet creatives and just hang out!

15. Books and more
As if that’s not enough, for 4 years now I’ve wanted to make a book project and aim to get started this year making it happen.

16. Studio Space?
As a part of our forever home, we aim to also have an amazing studio space where Bella and I can both create. We’d also like to use it to open up the possiblity of having people come in and use it for different purposes. We may invite people to create based on interesting personal projects they’d like to do. It’s our way of giving back so people can shoot rent-free.