Showing posts with label resolutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resolutions. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

New Year's Resolutions: One Word

I try to keep my goals for the year as simple as possible. Last year I wanted to begin each day with a prayer of gratitude and practice discipline. I did OK but not great on the first goal but not well at all on the second.


ah well.
First the success. My mantra has been "it's ALL good!" Even when I'm crazy I remind myself that the things making me crazy are all GOOD things. I'm very blessed to have a wonderful family, stable finances, and to have art in my life!

I still procrastinate then get completely stressed out over every deadline. I still fritter away my art-making time - usually by getting sidetracked on the computer. I'm doing important things - but not the MOST important things.

When I analyze my shortcoming (notice I didn't say "when I beat myself up about failures") I think the "practice discipline" thing is too big, too nebulous. 

This year I'm going to keep the same simple goals but I'm going to rephrase it into something that will help me with the practical application - both of being grateful and of learning to practice discipline.

It boils down to one word.

Wake up each morning and do what is most important FIRST!

For me that means:
  1. getting the kids off to school.
  2. spiritual practice (reading, prayer, meditation)
  3. exercise (gym or running 3 days minimum)
  4. MAKE ART (1 hour minimum)

Before I answer email. Before I write blog posts or articles. Before I ship stuff out. One hour to make art. If I put the most important things first the rest will certainly take care of itself. 

I played around on http://www.wordle.net/ to make a pretty word-cloud of my priorities. 

I'm going to print one of these and post it on my bathroom mirror to remind myself. I'll probably need to post other reminders all over the whole house. New habits can be difficult to implement for me so I need all the help I can get.

What are your goals?
What is your word?

Sunday, January 16, 2011

2011 Resolutions

Last week I posted my reverse resolutions for 2010
I'm going to be brave and post my resolutions for 2011 as well

1-Begin each day with a Prayer of Gratitude
2-Practice Discipline


That's it.
A freight train can be moved in a different direction by pulling a simple switch. 
Over time, great canyons can be carved into solid rock with a trickle of water. 
Small actions can create big results. 
(I got to DRIVE this freight train in Kamiah Idaho!)
Do you have any short and/or long term goals?
Can they be distilled into a simple word or a phrase?
I'd love to hear about them.

Monday, January 10, 2011

2010: Reverse Resolutions

I've been joining my sweet sister Amberlyn for the past several years in posting my
Reverse Resolutions
We look back over the past year to see what we've accomplished then write out each accomplishment as though it were a goal we had written last January. It's nice to look and see what we've accomplished.

2010 Reverse Resolutions
Be a passably good mother and wife (hi hubby and kidlets!)
Make enough art for a Solo Show (Tues 11th - gallery walk!)


Build my blog readership (hello friends!)
Drastically cut back my sugar intake and lose 30lbs
Get my Etsy shop up and running


Schedule 2011 teaching events in advance
Book Alyson Stanfield to come teach an Art Marketing Workshop next May in Raleigh

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Happy New Year

My lovely sister started this with many of our family members. Rather than looking over the past year feeling bad about missed goals, try making REVERSE RESOLUTIONS!

This means listing the things that you accomplished last year. So here goes for me. I'll stick to my business rather than my personal goals.

1 - See the fruit of your labors, hold a copy of your BOOK in your hot little hands!!! Write a couple of articles for my wonderful publisher on the side.

This was a color theory article in the first issue of Quilt Scene: International Quilt Festival

2- Teach at more conferences, the idea being to whittle down the travel/days teaching ratio. I taught at International Quilt Festival, Minnesota Quilters, Fabrications Retreat to name a few. Not so sure the longer times away from the family was a good idea. Live and learn.

Cheryl Jackson found me on the show floor in Houston and pulled out a quiltlet to show me. I can't remember if she said that she saw me on QATV, had my DVD, or had taken a class - either way these moments make teaching all worth while!

3- Teach closer to home.

Air travel is truly difficult when you are the kind of teacher who likes to bring almost EVERYTHING a student will need. It's much easier to just toss it all in the car and go.

4- Remember to save out money for taxes, as opposed to last year. Live and learn.

5- Pay off all business debt and operate solely in the black.

6- Make ART, at least a little bit of it. Honestly - I only completed class samples and work for articles. I did sketch a lot more. I've got four larger pieces sooooo close to being completed. Of course - they've been at that stage for a very long time. I can't say that I can even be happy about this as a reverse resolution. My only real goal last year was to make art. Life just happens. A serious lack of discipline doesn't help. I'm tired of just writing about and reading about making art - time to get down and dirty. Got a good start for the next year so far though.

Here is a little sneak peak of a piece that will be in an upcoming Quilting Arts Magazine article.

7- Sew something JUST FOR FUN!!! I've got a late 1600's (mostly) historically accurate middle-class woman's costume almost complete. Need to hand bind the lacing holes on the corset.

Don't these ladies look like they are having a great time? (NC Ren. Faire) I've also started work on a truly fantastic woods-witch costume inspired by Tia Dalma from the Pirates movies. That's certainly going to be a long-term project.

8- Perhaps the most important - express gratitude to the lovely people who make it possible for me to do what I love. My husband and children, my publisher, my students and friends. I love you all and I couldn't do it without you. I am truly blessed!

Isn't he handsome? How'd I ever get so lucky?
Maybe this week I'll work on some actual goals for 2010

Monday, January 5, 2009

The Best of 2008

New Year's Resolutions 2008

1- Write a book about Basic Design
2- Come back from my Teaching Sabbatical
3- Do not leave my children motherless
4- See ALL of my scattered siblings and even some long-lost extended family.

If I had actually written this list in 2008 I probably would have snorted milk out my nose trying not to laugh. Looking back - I simply can't believe I've survived the year. It wasn't the hardest year I've had. It was certainly the craziest. Two toddlers, a hockey player, and two teenagers who want to go places but can't drive yet. People would ask me how I was and I'd say I was crazy - but it's all good. True.

The book thing has been - shall we say - quite the experience. I feel as though I've just survived another pregnancy and labor/delivery. Long, long, hours working to form the thing - sometimes joyful, sometimes painful. The manuscript was turned in back in October. No word until the week before Christmas when the project editor tells me we have two weeks to get it ready for the layout designers. It was like labor. No rest, painful, intense - but with someone there to help you along the whole way. (Thanks Linda Griepentrog - you're the best!) I feel now the great and overwhelming relief delivery. Done. My baby is off in the hands of capable people who will make it look pretty before bringing it back to me. Eventually. I'll see the proof copy before it goes to press and it's not due out until October. That's a very long time.

One of the lovely homes I visited while teaching this year.

Teaching has been a wonderful experience to pick up again. I adore my students and nothing gives me more pleasure than to see them have fun making beautiful things. The joy of creativity. I worked with the most wonderful people and had an absolutely lovely time. It's almost a crime to get paid to have so much fun. Of course - you can't pay me enough for the pain in the neck it is to do all the preparation. Baggage restrictions are a killer for trying to get all your supplies to your venue. I had a few difficulties with supply orders going astray. I had to enlist the help of Lindy and a talented daughter in order to get all the kits made with a few tight deadlines. I am blessed with wonderful people in my life.

The best students ever!

Speaking of wonderful people. I have the best family ever! My husband has supported me even while his work schedule gets more and more demanding. My children have been very patient with leftovers and food from the freezer much more often than I prefer. I think the best part of the year was a family reunion. I have siblings in Oregon, Montana, Utah, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. Needless to say - we haven't all been together for a number of years. To top it all off many cousins and extended relatives were all able to gather at the paradise my parents call home in Kamiah, Idaho. A solid week of laughter, vehicles large and small (I got to DRIVE a freight train!), zip-lines, and a little - no - a LOT of tie dye. On the way there my daughters and a lovely German foreign exchange student and I drove through much of this big, beautiful country.

The BEST family EVER!!!

Now - ON TO THE NEW YEAR!!!!
My only resolution

MAKE ART
(oh, and cook a nice meal for my family once in a while.)