Goals and plans for 2016

The other day I was thinking of what things I want to achieve on the coming year and what I want to focus on. I am not a list maker, but in this sense, I feel that it would be good to have some directions, since it is so easy to forget or to get distracted. I am joining QuiltingJetGirl on the #2016PlanningParty.

Reflecting on 2015:

I still consider myself as a new quilter, so this past year I did not have any plans for my quilting, but here are the things that I actually achieved without much planning:

1- An upcoming publication and another super cool secret project for next year (which I can't talk much about it yet, but hopefully soon). This was my first time submitting for publications.

2- Had six quilts submitted and one accepted for the QuiltCon 2016 show. This was my first time submitting for shows.

3- I joined the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop and met some great bloggers through it.

4- Participated on the 2015 Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop designing a block and writing my first tutorial.

5- Had the previous block featured in Stephanie Palmer's Quilter's Planner.

6- Participated in some of the MQG fabric challenges, mini-mini swaps, Periscope hop with the #honestcraftroomies, joined in two photo hops on Instagram, attended some local workshops, exhibited at a local Arts Fair, won a Merit Award at the Art Fair, thought my niece and nephews how to quilt, registered for QuiltCon 2016.

7- Bought a long-arm, which I will be receiving soon.

2016 Goals:

Now, this coming year I have decided to figure out a path for my work. There are some things that I really want to achieve and some things that I know will be a whole life goal and 2016 will just help to shape things out. Let me say first though, that I am, in some ways, an essentialist. As mentioned before, I don't usually do lists or plan everything out. Recently, I have been reading Kondo's book The life-changing magic of tidying up and I like her idea of purging to understand what's really important in our lives. Here is an exhert from Greg Mckeown interview for Kinfolk, that really spoke to me; An Essentialist explores more options than an Everythingist, but commits to fewer: You're exploring broadly but focusing more sharply and making really selective decisions afterward. As a result, you'll be saying no to a lot more things than the Everythingist does. (...) It's not enough for an opportunity simply to be new. (-) But when you employ extreme criteria such as "Do I absolute love it?", and if the answer is no, then you should give it away.

I am not someone who loves being busy. I don't usually over-schedule my days. In fact, it's mostly the opposite. However, with all that said, I think it's great to have a structure. I do actually like my non-fussy routine. Nothing is written in stone, but you betcha my kids will be napping around noon. Back to 2016 goals, here is the plan:

1- Learn how to quilt on my long-arm and decide where I want to go with that (ofering quilting services, being selective, or none of the above).

2- Work on my own designs and write patterns and tutorials.

3- Submit works to local shows and magazines.

4- Produce smaller items for my Etsy - to help support my fabric addiction.

5- Narrow down my own style. - This is a long-term goal.

6- Produce work that I am proud of instead of just because. - This is a long-term goal.

7- Teach someone to sew.

8- Be more active on my blog and Periscope.

9- Learn, learn, learn.

10- Above all, be kind to myself and allow mistakes to happen. Give myself some slack by remembering that it's okay if I am not the artist I would like to be. I'll grow into it someday. Say no to my own plans sometimes.

What about you? Any major goals for 2016?

Linking to QuiltingJetGirl on the #2016PlanningParty.