New Year Resolutions?

Hello!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that the new year fills you with excitement at what possibilities the next 12 months have to offer.

For me 2017 flew by far too quickly, especially from September onwards and it wasn’t all because I was having too much fun either. It was a year of some very rocky times with pockets of happiness and achievement mixed in. I won’t dwell on the difficult bits (we all know too well that life can be totally and utterly rubbish at times) but the highlights were an amazing summer holiday with the kids, my son’s improved health from an illness the previous year, a fantastic Christmas craft fair and finding out that people actually liked my things enough to part with their hard-earned money. The Artisan Duck ended 2017 with a personal victory and it has given me so much hope that this will continue in 2018.

This bring me onto the subject of new year resolutions. First off, I never actually have any resolutions! I’ve tried and spectacularly failed so I like to set a goal or intention for the year ahead. This is not a new or revolutionary idea but is a great way to focus on what you want from 12 months so you don’t waste all your time eating chocolate and watching Netflix

Are you all desperate to know what my intention for 2018 is?!
Make It Happen (Be Brave)

Yup, purple is my favourite colour so I figured I would make it purple to take ownership of it. I’m getting a little cheesy now but whatever it takes, right?

I learned in 2017 that in order for things to happen/work/change I had to make it happen. Nobody else was going to prepare healthy meals for me, make me exercise, make jewellery and sell it etc.

If I have a goal it’s up to me to try to get there;

I am not expecting The Artisan Duck sales, Etsy or otherwise to be enough to buy a house with but every sale is a victory. I do a happy dance whenever my app chimes to indicate a sale. With hard work I know that this is a viable way to be creative and earn enough back so I can buy more materials and carry on. It also gives me a sense of being someone other than Mummy.

I have no intention to lose 3 dress sizes this year but a healthier diet and more exercise is a definite aim this year. I will mentally feel better if I motivate myself to move more.

Blog posts are not going to write themselves. I feel as if my cheeks are flame red now. I pop in and blog and then disappear for a month or two. I had fleetingly thought that I couldn’t sustain a blog alongside other commitments and certainly in the last few months that was true. I can share a quick picture on Instagram and Facebook and move on (and I love that function of social media) but I find myself longing to sit and write a more detailed account of how I made something or why I made it. I get feedback on my blog that you don’t get on other forms of social media. It is important to me so I have to Make It Happen. I plan to aim for 3 posts a week and keep it structured so I know what type of post I’m going to write depending on the day (Work in progress Wednesday – that kind of thing).

A perfect follow on from that is to try to be as organised as is possible with two small humans and, therefore, calmer. I get overwhelmed when things build up and get annoyed with myself for allowing them to build up. I want to feel calmer and find time to enjoy life rather than feel frantic.

I am the only person that is accountable for me and my success (or failure) so therefore I have to put my big girl pants on superhero style, Be Brave and Make It Happen.

Just to rub in further that I managed to post more on Instagram than I did here this year here are my ‘best nine’ (ie, most liked photos) on Instagram for 2017.

I did start with the world watercolour prompts for December until my boiler died a slow and painful death and radiators burst just as the Christmas school plays and festivities began. I’ve actually seen my plumbers more over this festive period than I have many family members this year!

So do you make a new years resolution? Have any dreams or goals you want to share?

Wishing you all the very best for 2018.

Hannah