New Years Resolution/Goals

I was inspired by friend and fellow Picture Bookie, Julia. Read a post on her blog about New Years Resolutions, made me feel like perhaps I needed to publicly claim my goals for 2007. I haven't made real written goals for years. Always broke them, so decided to stop writing them down. I think the reason I broke them was probably because they were personal goals. This year I will make personal and career goals.

1) Blog Daily

I love my blog and feel a need to do it daily now. I will make it my daily journal. Never really done a daily journal, but this will be the start of my day. What will I blog about? Well my current projects, current books I am reading, interesting finds on the net such as inspiring artists!

2) Write Daily

Now this is a real new one for me. I am not a writer per say. Always been more afraid of writing than I have illustrating. But I aspire to write. Actually I have written two books that need fine tuning, but I figure in order to become a good writer I need to write daily. . .my blog might be a start, but I would like to write stories.

3) Read books about something other than art

I read a lot, but usually it pertains to drawing or painting. I decided if I am going to write I need to read to be inspired. I believe that reading is left brained and art right. . .so I think I need more left brained things to get better at my right brained things. More on that in another post.

4) Sketch daily

I don’t mean detailed or fine sketches but fast and free. You will see them here! I think I might even try them in Photoshop! Oh how cool and scary is that?

5) Define a new style

Been struggling with this for years. I am getting there slowly. . .but not there yet

6) Truly let myself enjoy and relax and create for me!

I am usually so preoccupied with what others are going to think about my creations that the joy of the creating gets lost. I think most of this was brought on my years in graphic design/technical illustration, short tight deadlines. I am free of those days and have found a new freedom in the last six months of creating for me. Which I think will help me find my style.

7) Exercise Daily and harder

I am feeling a bit like I need to be in better shape. I am feeling a bit soft and out of shape. For years I was really involved in hard exercise. Road my bike 10 miles a day during the week and 30 miles a day on the weekends. Did 45 minute sessions of aerobics, lifted weights etc. Got out of that habit about 5 years ago to do some health issues. Those issues have gotten better and I am back into the mode of health and exercise. YEAH!

8) Enjoy Life and Family More

I am one of those people who love to laugh, sing and skip down the hall. I have been known to get a little silly even in public. My family and friends don't mind my silliness. . .so if anyone else minds. . .ah that's okay. . .By my picture you would probably never guess that I am a silly sort. Anyway I feel a need to really focus on making everyday the best day I have ever lived. Be silly more often. I think a lot of times we get so caught up in daily chores and problems we don’t even look at our family members as we speak and carry on with them. We need to really focus on their faces and their beings. Look at them when we talk to them. . .make them real and be in the moment.

8) Sleep Less

I don’t really need to make a goal for this. I pretty much have insomnia most nights. Recently I was watching PBS, and a man by the name of Dr Wayne W. Dyer was a guest. He mentioned waking in the middle of the night. I do that so often. . .usually between 2:30 and 4:00am. I usually lay in bed and fight the alertness, which only frustrates me. Anyway he said don’t fight it, get up and be productive. I have so much I want to achieve personally (physically) and career (find a style, get faster and create more.) I just can’t see that I can do that, if I don’t start following Dr Dyers advice.

Most people feel it would be a bad idea to get less sleep. . .but I feel my body likes that time of day and I can always take a 20 minute nap in the afternoon. I think naps are under rated here in America!

Okay I think that is enough goals for now. If I think of more. . .well you know I write them here!