My Resolutions and Goals for 2022!

First of all, happy holidays and happy new year!
It's the time of year for making resolutions again, and despite everything that's happened in the last few years, I'm in the mood for it.

I made a more fun video about some of my resolutions/goals/intentions/whatever you prefer to call them, but I wanted to write about some that I didn't mention in the video, and elaborate on some that I did. (I'll mark those ones with a "V" so you know what's what.)

In the last few years, I've been in the habit of dividing my goals into 7 categories on the model of a rainbow, so you'll get a chance to see that in this post, too. I've been experimenting for quite a long time now with different ways of presenting my goals to make them seem more fun and the boring ones less boring. I've seen others divide the areas of their lives into 3, 6 or even 9 areas. I settled on 7, myself. And then I had to colour-code them in rainbow colours, because, well, that's the kind of person I am. The categories are pretty self-explanatory, so I'll just dive straight in.

1. ART & CRAFT
❖ sew an outfit (V) - I'd like to learn/re-learn how to make the basic garments: top, pants, skirt.
❖ try altering clothes using different ideas and techniques.
❖ complete 1 painting a month (at least!).
❖ either learn to draw, or get over it!
❖ learn to write my Constructed Script off by heart.

2. READING & WRITING & VIDEOS
(I added 'videos' new this year as I now have a YouTube channel, and it seemed to fit well in this category.)
❖ read 1 book a month (V) - possibly the Game of Thrones series as I saw the TV show last year.
❖ re-read a classic/favourite book.
❖ write 1 blog post a month (at least!).
❖ make 1 video a month (at least!).
❖ re-do the intro and outro for my Yearlong Style Experiment video series.
❖ buy a GoPro (V) - or similar camera for making my videos more fancy.
❖ either write, or get over it!

3. FASHION & STYLE
❖ wear what I want (V) - maybe try to consciously create an outfit in a certain style (Mori, Cottagecore, Pastel Academia, etc.)
❖ learn modelling & selfie photography techniques - then I could document the above point with more confidence!
❖ wear novelty ears in public (V) - as I explained in the video, this comes from a satirical 5-year-plan style list that I created for myself several years ago. This is the only point from that list I've yet to achieve!
❖ create a Ghostbusters costume for Halloween/Springoween (V) - a pretty big project, but one that I think I would learn a lot from, and would make an interesting video, I hope!

4. HOME & GARDEN
❖ do 3 things to reduce waste.
❖ do a Christmas in July and document it on my blog (and video too?).
❖ "complete" my house and garden (V) - this was pretty vague, but I did list a few concrete things in the video, two of which I've listed below:
❖ set up the shed (V) - install more shelving and organise everything to create an efficient storage space.
❖ hang all the paintings/pictures I have (V) - they're in a box taking up space in the hobby room at the moment, so it would clear out that space as well.

5. THE WORLD
❖ stay in contact with my family and friends more regularly.
❖ get a job or make some kind of income. Or maybe volunteer?
❖ show my art more on social media, both finished and in progress (V) - I'm learning how to make Instagram Reels so I can do that.
❖ seek out more opportunities to share my art in person (V) - e.g. try to go in two exhibitions (I already have one lined up!); make my art/craft available to buy.

6. ME
❖ consistent selfcare and skincare (V) - taking my tablets every day, drinking Yerba Mate every day, excercising regularly, and doing my stretching exercises for my arthritis consistently.
❖ drink water! (V)
❖ go for a "walk" (V) - not just an everyday walk, but a forest walk somewhere lovely. In the past I've set yearly walking distance goals, but my athritis is very unpredictable, so I'm hesitant to do that right now.
❖ get my ears pierced again and get another tattoo (V) - something I've been meaning to do for a while, but hopefully I'll be able to this year.

7. SPIRITUAL
❖ meditate daily - perhaps not daily, but at least have a regular practice.
❖ practice divination regularly
❖ continue my studies
❖do more magic!

BONUS: DOESN'T REALLY FIT ANYWHERE
❖ learn the Rubik's cube (V) - I can solve it using a cheatsheet, but I'd like to memorise it so I can impress people by solving it spontaneously (haha!).

I have a Youtube Channel! How times change!

I've come an incredibly long way since starting this blog back in 2004. I've gone from being too shy to show my face on the internet, to having a Youtube channel! My channel is about a yearlong style experiment that I started earlier this year. It already has several videos up for your consideration, on the subjects of style, fashion and sewing. Here's my first video in which I talk about why I started my channel (though I also wrote a little about that below):




I do hope you enjoy my videos and maybe consider subscribing if you like that sort of thing. The most recent is my first one I made with proper video editing software -- not just an app with the most basic features like I was using before. The other day, I finally sat down and taught myself how to do it, and I'm quite proud of myself:



Making the thumbnails (the cover picture) is also quite fun!

Writing this post has gotten me thinking about how much things have changed since I started hanging out on the internet back in 2004. For many years, I was too shy to share my face (let alone my whole body!) on the internet. I was incredibly self-conscious about it. For example, I was into knitting and crocheting hats for a few years. I couldn't convince anyone I knew to model them, so I bought a head model from Ebay just so I could share them online. (I still have her -- her name is Hedda!)

I often found myself in a ridiculous situation where I wanted to sew clothes, but I was too self-conscious to share them on my blog. I wanted to share everything craft-related here, so if I didn't feel I could share it, I didn't make it! It was a piece of topsy-turvy logic that seems funny to me now. (...and yes, I ended up with a big stash of fabric I never used!)

Joining Instagram a few years ago changed things immensely for me. Seeing other people with similar body types to mine helped me to come out of my shell. I started posting photos of my face, and later, my whole body. I began to enjoy fashion more when I saw the possibilities, after having given up on it years earlier. I wanted to make my own clothes again, like I used to when I was a teenager. I did make a skirt last year, but I was so out of practice and made so many mistakes, that I was too embarrassed to blog about it. Here's a picture of it anyway:

The stars must have been aligning early this year, when I had a strong urge to get my fashion/style house in order, and saw this video about a 365 day style challenge. I decided to do one of my own! I'm not usually that impulsive (maybe it was a pandemic thing), but there you are. At first I was going to document it through my blog like I've done with so many projects before, but I became increasingly convinced that it wasn't the right format. It can be hard to describe something so personal -- and sometimes complicated -- in writing. Some things are just easier to talk about. About a month after I started, I decided I may as well try documenting it in video form, and started a Youtube channel to support that.

I've learned so much from starting this project -- not only about fashion and style, but about making videos. It's been a steep learning curve, fun, sometimes frustrating, but always satisfying, and I hope there are many more videos to come!