4 Simple Goals Before 2013 Recap

Happy New Year Everyone! As you may remember, back in September, Elsie at A Beautiful Mess invited her readers to create four simple goals to accomplish before 2013. Sarah outdid me and totally accomplished her goals with time to spare. I think I did o.k. accomplishing my goals.

Goal #1 accomplished! This was the easiest goal. I just didn't drink as much soda. My Coke a day habit is a thing of the past, and I now only enjoy the occasional soda. My reward for this goal was to buy a new dress. I'm going to hold off on that one until I see one that I absolutely must have.

Goal #2 just barely accomplished. I got a new Polaroid 300 for Christmas which is much easier to shoot with, so since Christmas day I have taken a lot of pictures. I still love my 101 and will continue to shoot with it as much as I can.

Goal #3 ???? I'm not sure if I accomplished this one. I was doing the whole No Poo thing (washing my hair every few days with baking soda) but I just couldn't get it right. I recently switched to Hair One which is sulfate free and free of short chain alcohols (long chain alcohols are supposedly good for your hair). So, technically I haven't "shampooed" my hair since I switched, but I am using Hair One daily. My hair is thicker and doesn't break like it used to, which was my ultimate goal in washing my hair less. I am also putting less strange chemicals on my head, which is a bonus. I guess I would say that I sort-of accomplished this one.

Goal #4 accomplished. I was taught that when you are meditating you treat your intruding thoughts like a small excited child. You acknowledge the thought then tell it "not now" rather than trying to force it away. This is how I decided to enjoy my downtime. When I was trying to relax and a thought like "you could be accomplishing something" came into my head I would tell myself "yes, I could, but now is not the time." It totally worked and I only felt a little guilty about it.

I guess this brings us to the New Years resolution part of the post. I don't like resolutions, and I tend not to make them, but I do have goals for 2013, most importantly to do Renegade this summer.

Did you accomplish your goals in 2012? What are your goals for 2013?

♥ Jessica

4 Simple Goals Continues......

A few months ago at A Beautiful Mess the readers were asked what our four simple goals were before the year is up. I have achieved my first two:

1) Try a new technique in clay.

2) Discover a new ceramic artist.

My third goal was to work in the style of a ceramic artist. I have achieved my third goal.

I chose to work in the style of Cynthia Bringle. Her work was first introduced to me by my friend Phoebe at ASU when I was studying ceramics. Cynthia Bringle's work is lovely. Her work inspires and supports my need to make functional ceramics vs. gallery ceramics. I want my ceramics to be used on a regular bases. I want my ceramics to inspire and evoke a mood/feeling when  the user  is selecting what piece they want to use that day for their breakfast, lunch or dinner. Cynthia's work shows me that it is possible to do so. I decided to make some pitchers in the style of Cynthia Bringle.

This pitcher is made by Cynthia Bringle.

This pitcher is made by Cynthia Bringle.

This is the result of working in the style of Cynthia Bringle. I did not have access to a salt kiln, so I applied high fire Cone Ten glazes to the pitchers. On this blue pitcher I did some abstract lines on the pot to resemble Bringle's work.

This one I used an earth tone to echo Bringle's work.

I did some carving on this one to try Bringle's amazing carving work she does on her pottery.

To check out Cynthia Bringle's work check out her site at Cynthia Bringle

Thanks A Beauitful Mess for helping me see that setting small goals makes it easier to reach goals in my artwork. Three down, one to go!

Sarah

4 Simple Goals (before 2013)

Elsie at A Beautiful Mess has challenged her readers to come up with 4 Simple Goals to accomplish before 2013. These are activity oriented, rather than result oriented, goals. We also get to reward ourselves for accomplishing our goals!

I am a bit of a soda junky. I know it's unhealthy, but I like to tell myself that, as vices go, it's no so bad. However, I am generally a healthy eater with the exception of my soda habit. So, although I know I won't give up my Classic Coke altogether, I want to make it less of a ritual and more of a treat. Reward: A new dress (hopefully it will be in a smaller size too!)

I love my Polaroid camera, but the film is a bit pricey, and it's big, old, and old-fashioned looking. Since I hate the attention that I get when I use this camera, and I hoard film for that "perfect photo" that never happens, I don't use it as much as I should. I have four packs of film that I want to use before 2013 (that's 40 photos) because... well because the pictures come out awesome and it's a waste not to use it. Reward: I get to buy more film.

For a few months now I have gone "no-poo." That's where you clean your hair with baking soda instead of shampoo (I also use home-made shampoo bars on occasion). I clean it every-other-day at the moment, but the goal is to extend the time between washings as far as I can. It's not only healthier for your hair (and your body), but most people report that their hair looks nicer than it ever did with shampoo. I can tell you that I had immediate positive results. So, I have been a bit of a wuss about going longer than two days between washings, but now is the time. Reward: A professional haircut (I usually cut my own hair :P)

This is going to be the toughest goal to accomplish. If I'm a bit tired, or have a cold, or just don't feel like doing anything, I usually spend my downtime thinking about what I should be doing. I should be making more books; I should be organizing my closet; I should be cooking a nice dinner instead of opening a can of soup. I think that if I consciously choose to enjoy this time, I will actually get more done when I do decide to be active. In essence, sometimes I just need to relax! Reward: Once I feel like I can relax I will give myself an entire day off to enjoy it.

♥ Jessica