2017 Goals and Intentions // A New Approach

Before writing this post, I scrolled back through previous annual goals lists of mine, and noticed something.  They're pretty much the same list.  Ooops!  Guys, I am such a procrastinator and it is not even funny at all.  Every year that goes by, I look back at the things I wanted to accomplish only to realize that I didn't do much in the way of reaching them.  I could come up with a load of excuses that might make me feel better...but I know they would just be excuses...so I'm not gonna do that.  Instead I'm going to take a new approach to meeting my goals.  I tend to look at the big picture and imagine myself at the end of the year.  What would my life look like...what would I look look...how would I spend my days if at the end of the year I could cross off everything on my list?  That strategy just ends up making me feel like I'm in a never ending tunnel...I can see the end and it feels like I'm moving forward...but the end of that tunnel just keeps getting further and further away.  Soooo.....instead of taking that approach, I'm going to just relax and take this year one month at a time.  I'm just going to have fun with it and see where it leads me.  If I want to alter or replace a goal 6 months from now, I'll do that and not feel bad about it.  I want to see what happens if I just take things one day at a time and make an effort to remain positive throughout.  So here are my intentions for the year in no particular order:

Wes Anderson Filmography

As a member of A Film Club, I'm excited to spend the month of November sharing and discussing all things Wes Anderson!  His symmetrical style, strict color palettes, melancholy humor, and fabulous soundtracks are only a few of the numerous reasons I name him my favorite director.  His artfully crafted set designs and incredibly quirky characters pull everything together for a cinematic treat that is incomparable to anything else I've seen.  If you're new to Wes Anderson, I've listed his work in chronological order with an added bonus section at the end which includes links to all of the his short-films that are available to view for free!

Illustration Diary // 1

The past several weeks have been so artistically productive for me, and I'm excited to start this new series: Illustration Diary.  Every 4 weeks or so, I'd like to share illustrations that I've been working on, as well as non-illustration projects that slip in every now and then.

Hiking Lake Mineral Wells

It's finally beginning to feel like Fall around these parts, and I couldn't be happier.  The brutal heat of Summer in the South is slowly being replaced by cool breezes, falling leaves, and cooler temperatures.  We were still in the 90's during our hike this past Sunday at Lake Mineral Wells State Park, but you wouldn't have known had it not been for the steady breeze.

10 Essential Horror Comedies

With Halloween creeping up in just a few short weeks, I like to fit in as many scary movies as time allows.  Between work and side-projects that I'm doing at home, trying to fit in a variety of classic, monster, ghost, serial killer, and family friendly Halloween movies can be quite the task.  This year I decided to make a list of movies separated into sub-genres like I mentioned above.  As I was creating my lists, I thought about how most "Top Favorite Halloween Movie" lists don't include many Comedy Horror films.  But that's a shame, because being made to jump AND laugh excessively during the same film is the BEST!   So, if you're looking for something spooky or thrilling with a sprinkle of giggles on top...be sure and add these to YOUR Halloween watch list!

101 in 1001

Knowing myself, and that I always have a hard time sticking to goal lists that start at the start of the year, or the beginning of the month...I've decided to jump into the Day Zero Project, and create a 101 in 1001 list to start NOW!  I was a bit surprised by how quickly I came up with this list, and having 1001 days in which to try and accomplish most, if not all, of the items on my list...is making me more excited than usual to get started.  So here we go:

Renewed Vigour

Over the past several weeks, I've given myself a vacation from blogging, photography, and projects.  Sometimes I've just got to step back, breathe, and give myself time to just...be.  During my little break, I discovered new loves and interests-which in turn renewed my passion for drawing and illustrating.

Life Lately

In my previous post (in late JUNE! What?!!), I shared a lot about being unhappy and wanting to change things.  There were (and still are) so many things about the way I'm living my life that I wanted to change.  I wasn't able to get anything done or stay motivated, because it all became so overwhelming.  I can't believe I never considered it before, but letting go of everything else just to focus on one thing has seriously been THE best decision.

Flowers From E.T.

I've been feeling a bit lost this year, as I mentioned a few posts back, and as much as I'd like to say that I've found my way back, it's just not true. I'm unhappy with myself and my work.  I'm constantly daydreaming and planning for the things that I want to do, but not setting any time aside to actually accomplish anything.  My lack of energy and motivation has got me stuck in a circle of planning and not doing, spending too much of my time indoors instead of outdoors, and generally just feeling sad about where I am at this point in my life.

Photo An Hour

So, in my previous post, I mentioned that I wanted to begin one or more photography projects.  Well my friends, here's the first one I've decided to run with!  I got this idea from Kaylah, and thought it would be a great reason for me to carry my camera around for an entire day just documenting the little things.  It also forced me to practice using different settings in my camera depending upon where or what I was doing at any given time as the day went on.  Overall, I'm super excited to do this again next month :)

2016 Summer Wishlist

Nearly everything on my "I wish I had money so I could buy..." list lately is from Urban Outfitters.  Pretty much every item on their website is something I want to have.  In fact, I love their stuff so much-that only one item on this list is from somewhere else!  If I ever, by some miracle, fall into a large sum of money...I will fill my life with Urban Outfitters stuff.  For now, I'm going to try and pinch my pennies so that I can spend my summer collecting all of these gems :)

The Past 6 Months

Whew, I bet you were wondering if I would ever be back here huh?  After the longest blog break I've ever taken, I'm happy to say that I'm back and ready to move forward.  My previous post was in January, and it covered my goals and plans for the year.  I won't turn this into a Debbie Downer post (Good Vibes Only!), but to make a long story short, I basically ran myself straight into a wall of self-doubt and depression and all of my goals and plans took an extended vacation.  I couldn't get motivated or inspired to get out and enjoy the things I love most, I didn't touch my camera for extended periods of time, and all I wanted to do after getting home from work most days was snuggle under a blanket, turn on the TV, and eat junk food.  I feel like I'm finally coming out of my slump for good, and I'm soooo ready to jump back into photography and share the things that make me happy.  I've missed it so much!  So let's get to it:

Goals + Dreams 2016

I'm BAAAAACK!!!  Over the past two months, I spent an enormous amount of time away from my computer, turned 30, contemplated life changes, stressed more than ever, experienced the new Star Wars movie, bought a brand new car (more on that later!), aaaaaand gave my blog a seriously pretty makeover, as you can see ;) A new year is finally here, and I'm so happy to be back blogging.  2016 is going to be THE sweetest year :)  I love starting the year off with new goals and dreams, and last year I purchased a copy of Moorea Seal's "52 Lists Project" book.  I saved it for the start of the year, and the first list is perfect for this post.  Let's go!