Perambulations in Verbiage

So, in the best laid plans category, I botched my roll on 52 finished creations (one per week) for 2010. Moving house DID throw a rather large wrench into the process, so I'm trying not to be too hard on myself. But I have definitely decided that I like this goal, so I'm trying it again this year.

Total count on things created and finished for last year: 12. Items included jewelry, clothing, a short story, and two computer-cozy-covers for new laptops for the teenagers. Which puts me at roughly one-per-month, rather than one-per-week. Which is at least 7 more things than I finished in 2009, so at least I'm gaining.

Here's one of the computer cozys:


Green Lantern FTW!

One of those finished things was not a novel, although it almost was - I fell short of my goal in December, and it's not quite there. We'll see how January goes.

Geronimo!

It feels rather cliched to post this so soon after turning 40, but that also seems like a silly excuse to avoid writing about it...

I do not ask enough of myself for me. This is not about what I do or don't do for others - it is all about what I expect of myself, and honestly, I'm too easy on me.

I watch TV when I could be writing. I make lists of things I want to make when I could be creating the things themselves. I leave stuff sitting in piles when I know that I would be happier if I just dealt with it instead. I sit on the couch when I could be exercising.

This is not to say that just relaxing isn't okay sometimes. But it definitely isn't okay to 'veg-out' all the time. And leaving myself creatively unfulfilled because I'm too tired or too busy or someone else needs something from me or that show I like is on or I should be doing laundry and I can do that later...hurts.

Even my New Years resolutions for that past few years have reflected this - vague notions of stuff I'd like to do, with no concrete plans for accomplishing any of it, so I just let things drift by until I've forgotten about them. It isn't working, and it isn't helping.

So I'm changing tactics, and calling myself out in public.

My primary goal and my biggest challenge for 2011 is 52.

Fifty-two complete creations. One a week.

Since I have a lot of neglected creative interests, I'm not holding myself to a category - it can be jewelry or clothing or a short story or a novel or a handbag or a painting or something I'm not even considering right now. (It doesn't have to be new - if I finish a novel that I've been working on for years, I might even give myself a week off.)

They won't have to be perfect, but they will have to be things that pleased me to create - no "filler" projects just to hit my quota.

So. There it is - my challenge to myself. Starting around January 7th, 2011, I'll be posting my results here. It's an exercise for me, but if you're interested in seeing how it's going, you're welcome to check in.