Somehow I've ended up with over 1,000 page views on this blog. So what if 873 of them were just me checking again and again to make sure I didn't make any embarrassing spelling errors? As far as I can tell, there are some eyes on what I'm saying here. There are human people out there (Hello!) to whom I can be at least somewhat accountable. And there's this endless blank space in front of me where I can post or mention all of the creative things I do. Instead of just rehashing what I've done in the past, which seems to have been the theme of my tweets and blog entries in 2012, I want to do new things. Below, I'll break down the kinds of things I'd like to do and make and share in the coming year:
DAILY
- I'd like to post a translation of a bit of foreign text every day. Rather than dabbling in little bits of dozens of languages (as fun as that is), I'd like to focus on the three I know best: Italian, French, and German. Maybe I can add Spanish. I've felt so silly saying I used to speak French (or Italian, or German). I'd like to find some public domain texts that have free online audio books read by native speakers so I can practice my pronunciation at the same time. This will take some searching, but I think it could be really helpful. And my blog-readers (do I have "readers"?) will have a little bit of a story to read every day.
- Speaking of which, I'd like to post a little bit of an original story every day. Maybe a mini short story, or installments of a novel. It would be exciting to have to "publish" as I write.
WEEKLY
- I'd like to post one quality video to YouTube every week. These could be vlogs, or funny things, or little experimental films. The point is, I would like to get relatively good at making videos, considering I spent most of my life wanting to be a film director more than anything. (I could stand to buy an actual camera for this; using the webcam is awkward, and everything comes out dark and grainy. It makes me look like a serial killer.)
- I'd like to post at least one quality photograph per week to Flickr or some other photosharing site. By "quality" I mean I want to learn to use my camera's advanced settings and take arty-looking pictures. (I shouldn't have to buy a new still camera, but the one I have is ten years old, so we'll see.)
- I'd like to cook, share and review one vegetarian or vegan recipe per week. I have half a dozen cookbooks, but I mostly improvise. Maybe I could share one recipe from a book and one of my improvised meals or treats every week.
- I'd like to make one "artwork" every week (in addition to the videos, writing, and photographs). I took a lot of studio art classes in school, and I was never great at it, but it's something I used to really enjoy. I'd like to post photos of my art to this blog or to Flickr (or wherever my photos end up) and maybe even put some things up for sale on Etsy. (It depends on what their fees are like. Maybe I can put it all on Etsy at the end of the year.)
- I'd like to post one essay on a topic of general interest on my blog every week. It could be related to current events or things I've read or just my own deep, dark thoughts. I'd like to move away from the personal stuff. I can still have a puppy update now and then, but I'd like my weekly essay to be "serious" (even if I liven it up with some humor) and interesting to people who aren't me.
- I'd like to make and meet one exercise goal weekly. I can say on the blog what I've accomplished and what the goal is for the next week. These should be concrete goals, like "run five miles in under an hour." The last time I did that one, I had a mini-heart attack (or I just fainted, whatever), so they'll probably be slightly less demanding.
MONTHLY
- I'm very, very, very bad at writing songs, but I did write a good one once. I have a flattering story about it, so I'll tell it here: I was in Indiana with my mom and my mean aunt to clear out their parents' house. The whole time, my aunt was very critical and mean (that's why I call her "my mean aunt"). She criticized what I ate, how I dressed, what I did, what I wanted to keep from the house, and all the renovation work I did. One day she saw that I'd brought my guitar along. "Why did you bring that guitar all the way to Indiana if you're not going to play it? What a waste. Do you ever practice? Can you even play anything?" I got it out and played an original song. It was just finger-picked arpeggios in the Dorian mode with a wordless melody sung over the top. It was probably the best musical performance of my life. When I was done, my aunt was quiet, as if thinking of something to say. Finally she said, "Actually, that was kind of nice." I want to do that again. On YouTube. With a different original song on or by the 28th day of every month. This will count as one of my weekly videos.
- I'd like to design and sew a dress or shirt every month. I ought to buy or borrow a sewing machine. I've always had lots of ideas for clothes. When I was a kid, I even wanted to be a historical costume expert and design costumes for movies. Now, it would just be nice to have some wearable clothes. That'll be the tough part: can I wear it in public? I will. And I'll post photographic proof on my blog.
- I'd like to read one book every month and write a substantial but brief review of it in my blog. This can count as one of my "serious" essays.
So. Do you think I can do it all? It may not be pretty. In fact, I'm really, really worried about the song videos. And should I go out and buy a camera and a sewing machine right away, or should I see how much of this I can actually do first? Ambition! Goals! Doing stuff! I'm a little bit excited. And that's good. I haven't been excited about doing new things in a long, long, long, long time.
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