It’s new year’s eve and I want to wish everyone a wonderful, happy beginning to a new year. I’d give all my readers a kiss on the check as the ball drops, if only I could.
As the end of the year draws closer and closer, hour by hour, I think about what I have accomplished in 2008. I enjoyed following as HulaSeventy crossed off things from her list for her birthday year. I think year-to-year lists might be more productive than life lists, because there is a deadline. It’s a bit harder to get things done on Life lists when the goal is to just complete each item “someday“.
In the meantime, it’s maybe time to go back to the beginning of this year and reflect at how this year has gone so far.
I don’t want to be such a negative nancy, but my goals for the year did not go as well as I had hoped. Maybe it’s just that I am only remembering the goals I did not accomplish, but I honestly can not remember any others. I actually just looked back in the archives from January and it appears I never posted them there.
I know I had dedicated to creating a page a day in my page a day book and less than halfway through the year that fell apart. I blame the move partially. I have a studio now, but almost find that I have less time to spend working on things anymore. Darn that cable television, you are a curse!
I also took a leap and proclaimed a goal of having 100 items sold in my etsy shop by the end of the year. The beginning of the year started out with a bang. I was having a semi regular stream of sales. I was getting decent coverage by other websites. By the half way point of the year I had about 50 sales. Granted I started the year with around 15 sales. But here it is the last day of the year and I am at 58 sales. That is quite a slump. A month or two ago I took a leap and volunteered for my first official shop critique with etsy admin. It went pretty well. Admin, as well as the other etsyers, had wonderful things to say, noting I was quite the crafty diva. All criticism was strictly constructive, noting how links in my profile could be better displayed, mentioning the use of ikea brand frames in my yoyo pieces might take away from the description, and watermarks on my images prevents my products from making it to etsy front page.
I may have not succeeded in my 2008 goals, but this year was a productive one! As Rosa recently posted, having a blog is kind of like keeping a record, leaving a legacy, and if it weren’t for my posts I probably would have forgotten everything that happened. In fact, the other day I was looking at older posts and saw one where I said I went to see Stomp. I do not remember seeing Stomp. I remember wanting to see Stomp, but if it weren’t for reading that I might still want to see Stomp, lol. That is sad, but true. So there you go, even writing it down doesn’t guarantee that you will remember it.
Anyway, it has been an amazing year and I am happy, I couldn’t ask for more.
I went to Minnesota for the first time. I guess I didn’t blog about it, but we went for Matt’s Oma’s birthday.
I was featured on several wonderful websites.
I sold a handful of pieces of my original artwork.
I joined the create a day group and have met some wonderful peeps. Blogger killed us, so we moved to wordpress and now we’re everyday create, we’re still getting adjusted to the site and often email rather than blog nowadays.
I participated in the Thing a Day on wordpress, and posted daily for the month of
My dad broke his arm and had to have a very scary and dangerous operation.
I went to the art institute of chicago and was wowed by the edward hopper exhibit.
I moved out of my dungeon apartment, into a lovely duplex with my S.O. of seven years, Matthew.
Went to the Indiana Dunes again, ahhh, sigh. I don’t think of myself as someone who fantasizes about beaches, but I could really go for some warm sand between my toes right about now.
Finished my next artomat series, still haven’t sent them out though, shame on me.
Saw the Swell Season at the Chicago Theater.
Went on vacation to Door County and left some found art.
Got a little bitty kitten named Bishop.
Found my “secret garden” (I can’t wait till spring to go back)
Went to our fourth or fifth renegade craft show in chicago.
Took a segway tour of chicago.
Made my very first edited movie.
Attended my brothers 2nd annual ghost story telling bonfire, where matt and I came in second!
Participated in the first ever Chicago MP3 experiment.
Participated in the first ever Pirates Vs. Ninjas protest in town.
Had to put my dear pet rabbit, Theo, to sleep very unexpectedly.
Held my third annual Gingerbread House Making Contest.
Went on our annual voyage to the Cheese Chalet.
Made a lot of awesome artwork, yay me!
I took down my show, and I’m very excited about posting and listing lots of those pieces from the show, as well as finally saying a last adieu to my artomat series as I send it out.
Goodbye 2008, you were a good year!
I remember seeing Stomp. You, me, and Erica at the Paramount. Was that this past year? It seems longer ago. Happy New Year!
oh my god! how many things have you done this year! As I tell my kids when they do something good: You should be very proud of yourself!
And I know you are! I love the blogging you’re doing because it helps me be motivated too, weird, huh? but true. I love the art you do, the ideas you have and how you go about doing them and of course, I love seeing the results!! don’t ever stop bloggin’! I love how you write like you were talking and the pictures you take, the way you see the world is so interesting.
I am sorry about Theo, and happy about Bishop, yay for the ghost story and the gingerbread parties! horray for the beach! double yay for the exhibit!
Have a very prolific and wonderful 2009!! many hugs!!
Happy New Year, Robayre! What a wonderful post. Mine is coming later today. First goal of the new year. (:)) I am so very thankful we crossed paths this year. You are such an inspiration, always genuine, sincere and fun. I can’t believe an entire year has gone by since CAD started up. I feel unbelievably fortunate to have stumbled upon that fateful thread. Thank youu for your friendship, encouragement & support. I wish you only good times and perfect health, love & happiness in 2009.
As for this post, we saw STOMP! about 10 or 11 years ago. It was one of my first theater road shows because we finally moved to a city (Eugene, OR). If you have never seen the Mister Rogers or Reading Rainbow STOMP episodes, I highly recommend you seek them out. We also have in common the etsy experience of things starting off well and fizzling out mid year and moving. I am so sorry to hear about your Theo and, like Rosa, glad you have Bishop. My Chippy (beagle) is ‘off’ the past few days. It’s maddening and consuming our emotional energies. Praying it is just a bug.
Hugs right back at you and I love being able to say ~ see you!
ox
joon
Ah, Robyn, you are awesome! I second Joon. I am so happy that I met Sheasy on that Etsy forum thread, then met you, Joon, & the gang on CAD. It is funny that you feel like you have not accomplished anything in 2008, I feel the same. But, I, too, know if I wrote it all down it would add up to a lot. I actually can`t believe you didn`t think you had accomplished much, since the minute I read that I remembered loads of things you had accomplished, which I know of from your blog. So, I am thankful for you, thankful for your blog, thankful for our new blog, even if it is off to a slow start. Can`t wait to read more. May 2009 be the best year yet for us all!!
XOXOXO Tif
PS I forgot to write that just today I was thinking about my life and thought, Ì could not ask for anything more… the title of your post. And, then I see your art, and it says something Quin always says to me. `We have everything we need` She is only two and a half but oh so smart! Is that piece for saleÉ Frig, my keyboard somehow always magically turns French and I don`t know how to change it back without closing and reopening my browser… sorry this looks like hell!
Wow, Robyn! It seems you have made some really cool friends online. They left some very nice comments for you. And I laughed out loud when I read the last one about the keyboard turning French. LOL! Just the laugh I needed today.