Last year about this time I did the word resolution thing. My word was discipline and I think I forgot about it about a week after the post. This year I'm going to go back to having an actual list of goals. I never get them all done, but I do get some of them done. I think this will work better for me because when you are smack in the middle of the forest, as I always seem to be, you can only see the trees, not the forest. I need the details (trees) of a list, versus the forest of a word. Plus, I like reviewing the list at the end of the year and realizing that I did get some goals done. I'm working on a list now.
Are you doing a word, goals, or resolutions?
The big thing going on right now is that my son and I are starting a business. It's On the Job Janitorial and we just got our first job, a building in downtown Greenville. We are both really stoked about this. We start on Tuesday the 2nd. It's only a few hours a week. We are responsible for the public areas, not the individual shops. After we get the routine down we hope to add a couple more office cleaning accounts.
Some of you who have read my blog for a long time will know that our son has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He is high functioning--what many people call Aspergers. He's 19 now and has not been able to find employment. He's not interested in college, and with his dyslexia he'd have to be really motivated to succeed at a college or university. I've been racking my brain for a job that would be a good fit for him. I finally decided that working at a janitorial service would be good. He doesn't do well around a lot of people, or if he's pressured to work fast. I'm pleased that he likes this idea too, and is very motivated to do this work.
I will have to get up earlier than I like, since most of the work will be done before the shops open in the building. I'm not a morning person. I'm thinking that the upside will be that since I'm up, I will just go work on jewelry after I finish with the janitorial duties. I'm hoping I'll get more done. And of course, the big upside which is employment for us both.
It's odd that it took me this long to think of a janitorial service. That's because I kind of did this before. Years ago I helped a friend find employment cleaning houses and apartments. I booked the jobs and she did the cleaning. After a period of time she learned enough English to get a good job at a hospital in addition to the apartment cleaning.
Now is the perfect time to have thought of it though, because a year ago our son wouldn't have been ready for it, and now he is. It's a blessing.
I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season. We had a great Christmas visiting with family. We spent Christmas eve at my parents and had Christmas dinner at my brother's place.
Happy New Year! May 2012 be a great year for us all.
Yesterday I discussed my yearly resolutions, or goals as I prefer to call them. Last year I read blog posts by Christine Kane here and here about using a word as a focus for a resolution. Both these posts have a great explanation of the process and a list of words to jump start your thinking process. In true ADD fashion I've procrastinated for a year and am finally ready to do this. Christine's current posts are guest posts from people who did this and what happened in the past year.
So what do I want to concentrate on or do this year? I want to get the studio up and running so I can have a place to work. I want to make a lot of jewelry and some other art. On a personal level, I want to get rid of the clutter in the house.
What word will encompass these goals? Right now I'm thinking of these:
Just do it, get going, focus. This is the word that I'm favoring.
This word will help me let go of things that are getting in the way, like clutter and procrastination.
I probably won't choose this one, but I need a word that will include this idea. I want to finish what I start. Some ventures are processes, like learning new technique for jewelry. It's very important to me to do something with what I've learned though, so I need to think about this.
There's a free PDF file on Christine's site that is a short worksheet to help you choose your word. It's called the "Word for the Year Discovery Tool." Check it out.
What word will you choose? Or if you aren't into "words", what goals and resolutions will you have for 2011?
A few years ago I started thinking in terms of goals instead of making resolutions. It's that time of year again and I'm thinking about my goals for 2011. And guess what? I could pretty much recycle my goals from this time last year. But wait...last year's goals were recycled from my 2009 goals. Yikes!
The good news is I did make progress in most the goals. The bad news is I don't seem able to actually finish anything I start and some of the goals which should be completed haven't been finished. I think I need a different approach. More on that later. Here's how I did on the goals:
- Try new jewelry techniques, especially more wire work and Art Clay.
Alas, once again I didn't do Art Clay. But I did lots of new techniques. I learned a lot at Adorn Me last year, plus I took two of Stephanie Lee's Homesteader's Metalsmithing online classes where I learned more. Some of the new things I learned in 2010 were soldering with a torch and soldering iron, using a jewelers saw, cold connections, and new methods of patina on metal.
I also took two online collage classes by Mary Green of Green Paper, and an online digital collage class by Susan Tuttle, Visual Poetry. These aren't jewelry techniques, but they are part of the creative process.
I did pretty well on this one, but I haven't done much with the new knowledge. I want a body of work. Or at least a bigger body of work than what I've done in 2010. I need to develop my own style with the new techniques. I'm going to do more with this goal in 2011. I've signed up for more workshops at Adorn Me! 2011.
- Post at least once a week on Etsy.
Again, not even close. But I did get some batches in both stores posted in the last few weeks so there's a chance I can make this a habit.
- Submit some of my written works for publication. I already have several short stories. 2009 also included "Write some more, particularly fiction."
I haven't submitted a dang thing except for jewelry related things which was a separate goal. I did partially work on this. In December I got copies of the 2011 Writer's Market and the 2011 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. I went through them and marked some possibilities for submission. It's depressing that there are so few paying markets. Of course, people write because they love to write, but I'd like to get some money for my labors. I need to check the online databases for both books, make a decision, and make some submissions.
I did not write any more fiction. I did do some preliminary research for some biographies and nonfiction books I want to write for the 10-14 year age group.
I reviewed some jewelry making books that I've enjoyed. In the last year some of these have been noticed and I've been asked by publishers to review some of their books. I'm happy about that. I enjoy reviewing books.
- Make at least one component for jewelry everyday.
I'm laughing now. I think I was insane to expect that I would do something every day. I did make some findings, but but no more than I did the year before.
- Submit jewelry works for publication.
Hey, I did do this. I sent in a photo of something for inclusion in an upcoming book. It was rejected. That's okay. I think I'll send in some more photos this year.
- Get my studio up and running.
This was a new and major goal for 2010. My friends Billye and Martha both started working on their studios about the same time and they have nice looking studios that they can actually work in now. (Another look at Martha's studio.) Not me. At least I have worked on it. I cleaned off one of the tables and organized my tools on it. I can't show you a picture of it because almost immediately I piled so much stuff on the table that it's embarrassing.
I threw away a lot of junk in the room. I removed some old shelves and put together some new ones just a few days ago. Here's a picture.
Note that the floor is not shown because I have some stuff on the floor that I can't figure out what to do with.
That's it for today. My actual goals, and my new and hopefully more effective approach to my goals and resolutions will be in the next post.
It's the time to think about goals and plans for the upcoming year.
I was checking my last years "goals" post "Trying New Things-A New Year's Resolution". I was relieved to find that I had actually done some of the things I set out to do. I think this year I will post a list where I can see it every day.
Here are my goals for last year and how I did:
Try new jewelry techniques, especially more wire work and Art Clay. Alas, I didn't get much art clay done. But I did do new techniques. I learned to anneal heavy copper wire, I did some hammering and forging, I made some of my own findings, expecially ear wires, and I did some wire weaving with iron wire. I plan to do more of all this plus other new things this in 2010. To that end I'm taking several classes at Adorn Me! in Houston in March.
Post at least once a week on Etsy. Not even close.
Submit some of my written works for publication. I already have several short stories. This one, plus Write some more, particularly fiction weren't done at all. I think I did go so far as to buy a new Writer's Marketplace and to look at a couple of magazines to see if they would be a good fit for one of my stories. The Writer's Market is completely out of date by now.
Make at least one component for jewelry everyday. Usually I just buy my findings, but I want to start making them. I did make some of my own findings, but I didn't work on jewelry everyday.
Submit jewelry works for publication. A photo of one of my twisted wire bracelets was published in the gallery section of Step by Step Wire Jewelry.
I'm keeping all of these things on my list for 2010. I'm adding this one:
- Get my studio up and running.
I've picked out a room and started cleaning it out. It's not going very fast but I figure if I work on it a little at a time eventually it will be done. Right now my jewelry stuff is in nearly every room in the house. It's driving me crazy.
There are lots more things that I need to do. I don't want too long a list though; it's overwhelming. All this has to be done around homeschooling my son. We just started this last April so has been a new experience for both of us.
My personal goals are to get the house in better shape (I'm not much into housework) and to do a good job with the homeschooling. I'll be sitting down with my son and we'll be doing our own goals list with the homeschooling and other factors in his life.
Feel free to comment and/or share any of your goals.
Merry Christmas, happy holidays and happy New Year to all.It's almost Christmas and I'm really behind. Of course, this is nothing unusual. It's a little bit worse this year because Stefan was sick for about a week and then I caught what he had. Last weekend we enjoyed a family reunion. It was the descendants of my grandfather and his siblings and we hadn't gotten together in a while. Most of the people I didn't know. It was fun though. Tomorrow I will hopefully finish up shopping. Then YIKES! Everything has to be wrapped. We're going to my parents for Christmas Saturday night and will come back Sunday evening. We're having early Christmas there since one of my nieces has to fly back to New York on Christmas day. We'll be back home Sunday night then off early the next morning for Christmas Eve at Ralph's family, then back home for our own Christmas. Everyone lives a couple of hours from us, but that 's not too bad.There's no Christmas tree this year. I know better. Scrappy is 6 months old and shows no sign of slowing down. Worse yet, he is enticing Nikko into doing things Nikko knows he shouldn't. Since they both love trees I think the Christmas tree would be too big a temptation this year. Scrappy is interested in everything. Just earlier he was hanging off the kitchen counter by his toes trying to get a look in the microwave. He rushes into the kitchen every time he hears someone open the microwave door. After Christmas I need to sit down and try to get a handle on what shows to do in 2008. I'm going to try some new ones this year and pass on a couple I have been doing.
Recently I was at a show in Tyler, Texas when a former customer came by. A couple of years previously she had purchased some Amazonite earrings from me. She told me she had selected them because the green/blue color made her think of Antarctica and she really wanted to go there. "And did you?" I asked.
She did. Turns out, she got a job in Antarctica (washing dishes) and wore the earrings I made while there.
I think that is so cool! And daring! Antarctica is one of the remaining areas that's not fully explored, right up there with the bottom of the ocean, outer space, plus some jungles and probably some mountains in Tibet and China. It's really cold and I admire anyone daring enough to go someplace that cold. My feet get painfully cold about November and don't warm up until March so I'm pretty sure I'd be at risk for some amputations.
Plus, she was wearing my earrings. I'll never go to Antarctica, but at least my earrings have been there.
BTW, the education level among the janitorial staff in Antarctica is the highest of any place in the world. That's because there aren't many openings or chances to go there and people with doctorates will apply for any job just for the great chance to work in Antarctica.
I don't know what her other dreams and goals are, but I hope she's as successful at accomplishing them as she was with this one.
