Looking Forward to 2011

I had a great time looking back at my goals for 2010, sometimes I get so focussed on what I’m NOT getting done, I forget to celebrate the things I do. Sigh, I will also admit that I’ve got a bit of performance anxiety writing this post/mapping out what I want to accomplish at this year. It seems like there’s no way I could repeat last year, so I’m a bit stumped. So, instead of staying stumped/blocked, I’m gonna just share my thoughts and MOVE ON!

I’ve been thinking in general terms about where I want my path as an artist to go, and I realized that I can’t do everything. (No, really, I’ve tried! I can’t!) When I chose a word of the year last year, I didn’t really understand how I would use it. But it turns out that it as really quite helpful – times when I became overwhelmed with something, I’d remind myself I want to “simplify”, and it got me moving past the overwhelming part.

Some of what I did over the past year seems to be me bouncing all over the place like a ping pong ball. A lot of this time was spent me trying to figure out the best way to market Candied Fabrics. I don’t like doing it. A lot of those efforts didn’t really lead to some big huge jump in traffic that translated into sales. I also need to remind myself that I am not a manufacturer! (Huh – I blogged about this in September, I wonder why???) I sold 300 scarves in 2010, I sold just about 300 scarves this year. Could I have made 500 scarves this year and still enjoyed myself? Probably. Could I have made 5000 scarves this year and still enjoyed myself? NO! So, it’s obvious…this year:

My Word for 2011

Focus

I’ve never been a fan of resolutions, they set me up for failure. But “inclinations” help me focus without all the baggage that comes along with resolutions. The ones I had last year are still important to my growth as an artist, thus:

My Inclinations for 2011

Create more Art!

Communicate my Art!

Long Term Artistic Goals

1. Continue to work more in 3 dimensions.
2. Explore the shape/idea of house/home.
3. Continue to work with restricted color palettes. /li>

Long Term Business Goals

1. Continue to bring in the same amount of money I earned this year with less stress!
2. Listen to the universe – it’s telling me I should combine my love and skills for teaching science with the passion that is my art.

Long Term Blogging Goals

1. Use my blog as a way to connect with other people. Show them why I do what I do. (Bonus, it’ll help me understand why I do what I do.)
2. Don’t get too hung up on stats. If you blog it, they will come! 😉

Pie in the Sky Goals

1. Get published in print…again! I’ve had such a great experience with this, I want it to continue.

Now, to get down to brass tacks! Here’s how I did on finishing up the year with a BANG!

December Goals

Yup, that is a heckuva lot of making that got done! Wowee, when I look at that, I even impress myself! 😉 Um, did I do a lot of holiday stuff? No, not enough. Did I take on a bit too much? Probably. Should I do a featured artist corner in the month of December again? NO!

January Goals

Umm, those darn mystery proposals need to get the heck out the door. This post has been niggling in the back of my brain for awhile, hopefully now that it’s been written I’ll be able to focus. Of course, I go back to work next week too. But I shan’t panic – I get plenty of stuff done while I’m teaching…deep breaths….

Oh NO!  A post without a picture – that will never do! Did I ever show you the pillow I sent off last month? I don’t think so…here it is:

The pattern for this is coming soon, to a magazine near you! 😉

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