My 2025 In Retrospect!

2025 was… a lot. Good, bad, chaotic, enlightening, basically every emotion you can think of decided to show up uninvited and overstay their welcome. But somehow, through all the noise, I found myself growing, evolving, and occasionally having minor breakdowns (we don’t talk about those). This is my attempt to make sense of it all, divided into two neat categories: My Self-Development and Growth, and My Career. Spoiler alert: I learned things, messed up, and figured some stuff out along the way.

My Development and Growth

Let’s be honest, my mental health went on a bit of a rollercoaster this year. I went off the rails more than once, but hey, at least I learned how to find my way back. I got better at managing my emotions when they hit peak chaos mode, started thinking before acting (revolutionary concept, I know), and became more articulate in expressing myself.

I read about 6 books on everything from human psychology to love and partnerships. Yes, I’m that person now. I matured in thinking and action, went on trips that recharged my soul, started journaling like my life depended on it, became a Sunday school teacher (plot twist!), and even published a children’s colouring book. Started a catering business called Snack Shack in June, and it’s going really well, considering we launched about 6 months ago. When burnout or stress crept in, I’d open Procreate and do some basic illustrations because, apparently, drawing pretty things is therapeutic.

I finally, finally, let go of people, habits that were doing more harm than good, and places that made me feel like I wasn’t enough. I made new friends, rekindled old friendships that are now thriving, and learned to put myself out there. Sure, I didn’t post as much as I wanted to (classic overthinker move), but I still got out of my shell, and that’s what counts.

Did I do everything perfectly? Absolutely not. There’s still so much I could have done, but we’re not dwelling on that because, newsflash, I can’t time-travel. Instead, I’m focusing on the daily work that’ll get me to the best version of myself. And honestly? I’m excited about it.

My Career

Okay, this is where things got really good. Like, genuinely exciting, pinch-me-I’m-dreaming kind of good.

I wrote 7 articles on design and my journey as a product designer. Was I supposed to hit 12 by year’s end? Yes. Did I? No. But 7 is still 7 more than the previous year, so I’ll take the W. I joined communities and movements like Building Bytes (served as a product and visual designer), Ghana Digital Product Awards (organisation and operations lead), and IxDF (community member and subscriber). I also joined a mentorship cohort, and after completing it, landed a spot on the Vendorlope team, where we’re building the best web app to help small businesses track sales, manage inventory, and scale with ease.

I invested in my learning and took 2 research and design courses on IxDf, 2 Google courses on AI engineering and prompting, read Business Thinking for Designers by Ryan Rumsey and Systems Thinking by Donella Meadows. I documented 2 personal projects, and well, only fleshed out designs for one, Campus Vendor, a two-sided digital marketplace designed to centralise and professionalise the chaotic student marketplace.

I read about 120 articles on a variety of subjects (lost count in Q4 oops), and spent hours learning how to vibe code. Started with about 4 hours on the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, then spent 2 hours figuring out how to use Cursor. My first attempt? I built Image Toolkit — a three-in-one tool that removes backgrounds, erases watermarks, and converts formats. It solves my problems, which makes it extra satisfying.

Mid-year, I got a proposal to speak at a conference. It was terrifying. Friends had been nudging me forever to show my work and speak up, but I kept dodging it like my life depended on it. Then I asked myself: What’s the worst that could happen? Embarrassment? So what?. I took the leap and nailed it. I spoke at the University of Ghana during the Getting It Right conference for students transitioning into the working world. I also hosted events like Demo Fridays and spoke at the Dodo Summit 2025, where I shared the story behind my work at Dodo and what it really means to be a product designer.

2026

If 2025 taught me anything, it’s this: trying gets you help. Showing up every day, even when you don’t feel like it, makes all the difference; it shifts things in ways you don’t immediately recognise. Letting go isn’t always a loss. Sometimes you’re too deep in your own head, and you just need to get out. And maybe, just maybe, the cost of entry is embarrassment.

As I step into 2026, my goal is set: keep doing what works, do what I should have done, and do it better. Be the best designer my generation has seen. Pay the price of entry, even if it’s embarrassment. Build more. Ship fast. Learn from the lessons. Do better.

Happy New Year, Folks!