December Reflections

We are in the second half of December, where the new year is glimmering just beyond the horizon. Christmas is almost here, and so is the season of setting new goals and striving to reach new heights--I realize I just sounded like a commercial for a gym membership, but hey, ‘tis the season!

I like to look back at my previous goals and see if I remembered what I wrote and if I accomplished what I had set out to do. Let’s take a look at December 2017.

My goal for 2018 is to finally—once and for all—to crack out of my shy Internet-self shell! I’m not a Marvel character with a quick, witty quip for every occasion. I’m not the most hyper active conversationalist, especially on the fast-paced platform that is Twitter (home of High Castle happenings).

Well…I definitely forgot I wrote that, ha ha! My how things have changed! Mission accomplished? I feel like this is an ancient fear I had back in the Beforetimes or something. The key to this endeavor was not giving a fuck. That’s it. I stopped stressing out over sounding “buzz worthy.” Trying to sound like someone else just because they get thousands of likes and follows is not the way to go. Trust me.

Let's look at the short list of goals I made in 2017.

1. Taking my art to new levels

I’d say I improved a lot! I never thought in a million years I’d do realism. This is all thanks to the wonderful friends I’ve made via The Man in the High Castle and the amazing people who have worked on the show. You give me so much motivation to continue creating art! THANK YOU. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

2. Getting my novel, Sisters, polished and ready to publish

I am slowly getting there. 2018 made certain themes difficult.

3. Creating more black and white photo aesthetics

I forgot about this one, and I think this morphed into pencil sketches.

Okay, so now that’s out of the way, what do I want to do in 2019? 

I refuse to give up on Sisters just because of “the times.” I suppose this is my next fear to get over. I mean if someone doesn’t read the disclaimers I have plastered everywhere, then that is their problem. I don't say this to be mean, but there is a frightening, growing trend of glossing over disclaimers, letters from the author, and wanting to ban books that may have something controversial in them. I'm going to be honest: this trend scared me away from Sisters for a time (no matter how fierce my disclaimer was or how Ann and Kathy began to question their environment, I was still terrified of moving forward). I ended up hiring a professional beta reader, and I'm glad I did! They gave me excellent, well written feedback that I’m going to use to improve the story.

Continue to improve my art!

Maybe make art/peg dolls a side gig and start selling it? I am giving this some serious thought!

Continue to fight my inner shyness. This has always been a struggle for me. I’ve lost count the number of times I didn’t get credit for something due to my inherent inclination to say nothing because people are scary (lol!). I made huge strides this year, especially at work (where it counts!) and want to continue this.

Here’s to hoping 2019 is a year of joy, progress, and peace!

What do you want to accomplish in 2019?