I'm trying to get back into the things that I like to do, and participating in Shimelle's 10 Things on the Tenth of each month, is one of those things I like to do. I really don't like to make resolutions, and I'm not crazy about calling them goals, either. Maybe it's just the word that I don't like. But at the beginning of each year, after the rush of Christmas, I like to think about things that I'd like to do better and things that I want to accomplish. The first few months of the year are rather slow (and cold), so it's a good time to get inside projects done. So these are 10 of those things that I've been thinking about and things I want to do better in 2012:
1. Clean my studio. It's got way more stuff in it than I could ever use in my lifetime. In my opinion, having too much makes it difficult to create. I have gotten a great start on this and I already feel lighter, and motivated to keep going.
2. Do more art. No, I don't call myself an artist (why is that so hard?), but I do love to paint and collage and get messy in my art journals. But I find that I don't do it very often. One reason is that my scrap supplies take up so much space that I have all my art journaling supplies packed away out of sight. Part of cleaning my studio is to get these supplies out where I can see them, and easily move them to my desk.
3. Purge my Reader list in Google. I have SO many blogs in there, that there is no way I can keep up. I need to get rid of things I really don't care about, and bloggers that don't post much.
4. I love online classes. Yes, I love them. But I tend to sign up for too many, and then I can't keep up with any of them. How many times do you sign up for class knowing that you don't have time to give it all you should? If you're like me, it happens too much. So I'm going to be reasonable about what I commit to. If I don't have time for the class, I'm going to skip it. That way I can really enjoy the ones I take.
5. Learn to use Lightroom. I bought it. It's loaded on my computer. It's filled with photos. But I don't know how to use it. That's going to change this year.
6. I like to send hand made birthday cards, and I'm always finding myself rushing to complete one so I can get it in the mail. I have now listed on my calendar, on the first day of the month, each birthday for that particular month. I am going to make my monthly cards all at one time, so they will be ready to mail.
7. Keep working on my photography. The only way to get better is practice, practice, practice, and I'm going to do that.
8. Put my layouts in albums. I have stacks of layouts that need to be put in albums. If I devote an afternoon to it, I will have them all put away. I can do that!
9. Cut back on purchases. The fact that I have so much stuff, means I purchase too much! I am going to make a point of purchasing only the things that I want most. I get a kit club each month, so I'm always going to have something new to play with.
10. Establish more routines. I think routines are a good thing. They keep my life ordered. They keep me from straying. 10 on the Tenth is one of those good routines!
Since no blog post is complete without a photo, here's a layout I created with the January kit from C'est Magnifique using paper from 7 Dots Studio. This is my granddaughter in her very first "real" horse riding competition. She was SO nervous, but placed 3rd. That's great for her 1st show.
So how do you feel about new beginnings each year? Do you have anything that you want to do better in 2012? I'd love to hear about it, so leave a comment below.
Now I'm off to see what others have posted on the this first 10th of the month in 2012.
~~~Valerie Serfozo
