The Caffeine Habit

I love making dolls.  I love they way they take on their own lives, and create themselves over time, sometimes with little care for what I wanted them to be.  I like the way that one thought or phrase can spark an idea, and set the plan on a new course.  All of that is exactly just what happened when I enrolled in Marilyn Radzat's online workshop, "The Art of Balance".  I found it not quite so economical to use the suggested supplies, so I went with a more obtainable mug, and let the piece evolve from there. 

After many months of working on it sporadically, the doll is finished.   That's right, a real finished project! For a while I hated her.  I felt I resigned myself to the coffee cup for lack of a better idea.  Sure, it works, but I don't like coffee.  How do I create something about coffee when I don't even have a caffeine habit.  A caffeine habit. Habit.  Humm....  I can work with that.  Introducing the Caffeine Habit (and her companion sugar sprite). 

Back At It

Popping in quickly to say hi, and let you know my hand has healed reasonably nicely, and I'm back at creating things, as the pain in my hand allows. 

I feel so out of touch with what's going on in the local art community, and with what my artist friends near and far have been doing, but I'm getting back in touch with my artist self.  There are many projects being completed here, and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you as they each get finished.  In the meantime, here's a glimpse of my newly finished Sugar Sprite, who is being incorporated into a larger piece.

Lesson Learned

I've been very focused on making 2 pairs of tiny shoes, and on finishing my Coffee fairy.  I had my time all scheduled, what work I was going to do on these projects every day to have them all done by tomorrow.  However, the best laid plans have a way of going awry.  Sunday morning, before sitting down to embroider the second last line on my Coffee Fairy's costume, I had a wee bit of an accident with a glass cup and suffered a severe laceration to my right thumb.  Instead of stitching, I spent my day in the emergency room getting stitched back together.

Monday should have had me embroidering the last line on the costume, and making insoles.  Only, I found myself unable to pick up anything, let alone a needle or scissors.  Truly, it's amazing how much we rely on our use of opposable thumbs.  Basic personal care, feeding myself, picking up a pen to sign my name, are all very difficult to impossible tasks for me right now.  As I sat here staring at almost finished projects, I had to wonder, what do I do if I can't ever pick up a needle again.  Needle arts have been a part of my life for 24 years now, what will life look like without that?

Probably I should be more concerned with how I'm going to work my regular day time job, but I really have no care about that.  I'll find out how that works when I arrive Thursday morning.  That alone opened my eyes as to how important my work as an artist is to me.  Really, what will I do if I can't pick up a needle again?  That thought is sickening, but I'd find something else creative to do.  I suppose I'd explore more machine stitching.  Precise cutting of fabrics isn't a possibility if I can't use scissors, so I might have to embrace the more free process of rip and tear.  I might think about thinks like abstract painting, holding a paintbrush in a fist rather than between thumb and finger.  The same method might be applicable to needle punch embroidery.  I'm creative.  I'm determined.  If it comes down to having to find a new creative outlet, I will (though I pray that won't be the case).

One of my art mentors suggested I ask myself what this accident creates an opportunity for.  I suppose it gave me the opportunity to stop.  Stop doing the things I want, the things I don't want, stop everything, stop doing nothing.  Just stop, and sit and listen.  In that stillness, I get to hear my thoughts, and hear what my heart really longs for.  I've learned that art is a huge part of the person I am-which now means I can stop the nonsense thoughts of "maybe I should stop wasting my time playing artist".  This was a good lesson in learning to use and cherish our individual gifts, because at any time, they can be taken away.  It's easier to prioritise which projects are most important for me to do, when I think, "if this is the last time I get to make something in this life, is this what I want to be making?".

Though I'm not a bit thankful for this situation, I value the lessons learned.

Something out of Nothing

My first inclination when answering the question, 'what have you done this past month?' is to answer with, "nothing".  My studio is still a disaster, my doll is no further ahead, I'm another month behind on my block-of-the-month quilt.  I've done nothing.  It's been near a month now since I reflected on my journey last, and I've done NOTHING!

However, first inclinations aren't always correct.  Every day I write in my journals, and this allows me to go back and see what it is I have done.  Journal 1 lists the creative thing(s) I did every day, and most every day is accounted for there.  Perhaps I didn't do what I had in mind, but I didn't do 'NOTHING'!  I've spent a bit of time working on my doll, hand stitching the rest of her clothing.  Every stitch counts there, and I appreciate that the time it is taking to hand embroider this costume is worth the effort.  Besides, I do enjoy hand stitching, and I am supposed to be enjoying my time with this, right?  Good, I'll keep at that then.

I've spent a bit of time with Photoshop as well, trying to turn ordinary photographs into works of art.  I'm never going to be good at this, and I'm probably not ever going to like this process, but I am content enough with the results.  I turned my ordinary photo of ice-stick tulips that you saw last month into this.  The possibilities of how I could incorporate this into my are are intriguing.

There's been days when I wandered about taking photos of everything I found inspiring, to have for future reference.  One day I wandered down to Artfest to enjoy the art of other people.  One day I decided to make home-made cosmetics, and now have a lifetime supply of lip balms in many fun flavours!

I also decided that I need to live in a more fun, more artistic, more colourful place,  so set out to refinish the stairwell.  The gross carpet came off the stairs, and there was more ugliness underneath that.  I didn't think this project through too well and I may be in over my head there.  I don't really have a clue about wood refinishing, I don't own a sander, and I just can't see successfully sanding the stairs down by hand.  I had a minor mishap with a can of paint stripper that I'm still physically recovering from, and the projects just newly under-way!  But, it's really too late to back out now....

Every day in June, I sketched a different flower to improve my non-existent drawing skills.

I've started working through a fabulous course for artist's; Julia Cameron's, The Artist's Way.  What a truly wonderful discovery that has been.  Though I'm only two weeks in to that 12 week course, already it has brought me much focus and understanding to my life.  Most importantly so far, that my life, and my life as an artist, aren't 2 separate entities.

I'm back on track with some neglected projects, and there's clay body parts baking in my oven right now.

True, I didn't do what I had planned.  I didn't finish anything.  But, all of this must amount to something, even if it is just paving the road for what I'm going to do tomorrow.    

  

Real Perfect

An artist without an art studio is like a fish without water.  My studio was no great place-just a basement room that housed all of my art supplies-but it was my place.  It's the place I put together over 4 years, pieced together day by day, with my hands.  It was a place to dream, and to create.  This room allowed me to do the thing I want to do, and express the person I am; to breathe.

When my studio was vandalised several weeks ago, leaving it in ruins, a piece of my soul crumbled too.  My dismay doesn't come from the lost items; items can be replaced.  For 4 years, I've been down there every day.  It's become habit, and has defined a large part of my existence.  What do I do now?

I know the only thing to do is to go down there and put it all back together, just the way it was, or even better.  I've gone down there every day, stared at the disaster, and walked away.  It's such a sad sight, and seems an insurmountable task.  I can't piece together in a weekend, the room that took years to build.  Each time, I've just walked away.  I spent a lot of time doing nothing-not sure what to do with myself.  When I got sick of staring at the ceiling, I read, I scrubbed floors, I pulled weeds from the garden.  All good things to do, but not what my heart wanted to be doing.

It wasn't until several days ago, with a round robin deadline looming over my head, that I had to force myself to spend any time in my studio.  I knew I hadn't finished the block, and at that moment, didn't even know where it was.  After 45 minutes of rummaging, I thankfully found the block, but not any of the supplies I had set out with it.  3 days to my finish deadline, and now my plan for this block wasn't executable.  It was that moment when I thought, "I can't do this.  I'll just have to toss it all out, and stop with all this making art nonsense".

The same day, I came across this article.  I read it through, and thought, "yeah, great, but now I can't make anything even if I want to, I don't the right stuff any more".  I read it again, and thought, "I really wish I was making something, anything".  I read the article a third time, and I finally got it.  "It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be real".  Maybe I can't make this block the way I wanted too. I can't use the paint and the thread and the fabric that I had planned, but it needs to be done.  No one else knows how I wanted it to look, they won't know it wasn't supposed to be like this.  I have to do the best I can do with what I have, because it needs no be made real-right now.

The block is done now.  No, it's not how I wanted it to look.  Yes, maybe it would have been better the other way, but truly, it's better finished, than never started.  It was gratifying to be able to sit, and create something again.  The smile on the owners face when she looked at her block last night make it worth it.

I don't know what I'll be able to make now.  Whatever it is, it will be real.        

Felt!

It's a fish, it's a cat, it's a vessel

May was about falling further and further behind.  Err...no.  It was about felt (and in having fun with felt, I fell further and further behind with everything else, but I had fun, so I'll not worry about that right now).  First was the highly anticipated release of the first several Cupcake Goblins from Tanglewood Thicket.  One of these fun fellows belongs to me now and I already have a spot cleared out for him, for when he arrives home.

That bit of excitement was followed by taking 2, one day workshops with felt maker, Andrea Graham. First was a vessels class, and though I don't love my finished product I do like the shape and colours.  This weekend, for me, wasn't about finishing a project anyhow, it was to learn technique,and I feel I  successfully achieved that.  With some heavy embellishing, this vessel may have a promising future.

Second workshop was pods.   While this was a busy day of information overload and a lot of frustration, I kind of like my pod.  I call her Glum.  Glum seemed so lonely, I made her a friend the following week to cheer her up.  These are kind of addicting, and  I have to urge to make 9 more.  Yes, a herd! Don't know when I'll get to that, or what I'd ever do with them, but they're good fun.

Infectious Spotted Blue Tongue

Glum

The rest of the month I dedicated to the Art House Co-op's Mystery Project. My topic: The future of the Year.  Colour-Spring Green.  After much contemplation, I decided that the only thing certain about the future is that I'll be that much older, no matter what or who's future we're speaking of, whether it be hours. months or years from now.  The only thing certain, is that time will have passed.  "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day...", wrote William Shakespeare.  My Mystery Project is about the passing of time, and time holding back the human race, until it takes over and we are no more.  What about the colour green?  I'm reminded of the climbing vines, such as kudzu, that that creep, and grow, and envelop all in their path.

Quizibit

The uncertainty of the future became my reality the last week or so of the month when my studio was vandalised and turned upside down and inside out by my charming new neighbours.  I haven't had access to my studio since-putting a halt to finishing this project.  Over the next few weeks, I hope to regain access to my studio as it's slowly pieced back together, allowing me to finish my Mystery Project.  Until then, it will remain a mystery from you as well.

April Showers

Ice Stick Tulips

I love April for so many reasons.  Warmer temperatures, the first flowers in the garden blooming, the birds who start singing at 4 am, pussy willow, mud puddles, and coming home at the end of the day with the sun still in the sky, just to name a few.

While I have spent much of April physically sick with a host of icky illnesses, my enthusiasm at the world around me was also catching, and I excitedly worked on several projects this month.  First was to put together an Easter basket for a friend, because no one ever thinks of us Mom's at Easter, and it just isn't fair that our kids get all the Easter fun.  This basket couldn't be any cute Easter basket; no.  It needed to be an Easter basket without any bunny rabbits, because my dear friend is afraid of rabbits.  I worked so very hard at putting this basket together, it took my breath away. Literally.  I blew 18 fresh eggs (so I had a few extra just in case I broke some), and blowing eggs just isn't as easy as I remember it being when I did it last as a child.  I also didn't do my lungs a favour when I baked all those eggs with a layer of Translucent Liquid Sculpy.  Wow does that stuff stink!  I really do suggest opening a window when baking TLS.  These minor trials aside, I spent 16 days (so, yes, the Easter basket was delivered after Easter) creating a dozen polymer clay covered eggs and enjoyed every minute of it.  This activity truly brought fun to my Easter holiday this year.  The making of the nest for the eggs to sit in was a bit of a failed experiment.  The nests at the craft store were pretty ugly, so I figured I'd make my own.  Well, mine is pretty ugly too, but it's functional.  How do birds do it?!

I continue to move forward on my coffee doll sculpture.  I gathered all the fabrics I thought I wanted to use on her, then had a better idea, went shopping for fabrics all over again, and have finally started to dress her.  Regardless of how she turns out in the end.  I'm thrilled with this sculpt.  She's definitely a SHE!  I've literally sculpted (mostly faces) every day since last June and I think it's finally starting to pay off!  She's a SHE, pretty and delicate and graceful!  Woo-hoo!  Even her mini side-kick is rather endearing.

Finally, the last project I did was this months Creative Explorers Club  challenge.  How will my life look in 12 months time?  I almost didn't do this, because my answer was simply, "I don't know".  I don't what do be here, but I don't know where I'd rather be.  How are you supposed to make a vision card out of that answer?  Well, I did, thanks to Lewis Carroll who in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland wrote, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

And so, with a strip-pieced background, sheer fabric overlay, Cheshire cat drawn with Inktense pencils and free motion stitching, my vision card was born. I might not have a clue where I'm going, but I'm happily taking a journey down an unknown path to get there.

Things I Learned in March

1. Self-imposed deadlines are not real deadlines.  Saying, "I'm going to have this doll finished by the 15th of March, just doesn't have the same impact of, "I need to have this ready and mailed off by the 15th of March".  I tried to fool myself with self-imposed deadlines, but I'm just too clever for self-trickery.  Nope, poor fellow wasn't done by March 15th, or even now.  But at least he's assembled onto an armature.  That's progress.

2.  Aves Apoxie Sculpt will stick to anything and become permanent, waterproof and very, very hard.  That is what the product says it does, and it does it very well.  That's great if you put it where you want it.  Not so great if you walk away from a mixed piece for a few minutes, forget it was ever there and later find that your 7 year old decorated some of his room with "clay".  That being said, Apoxie Sculpt is incredible wonderful stuff, with all sorts of creative applications, like building hills out of coffee beans....

3.  Sometimes, it's okay to sit in silence, not creating, and let the world speak to you rather than through you.  This month I watched many videos, tutorials and artist interviews online.  I discovered new things I want to learn more about, as well as things I once thought I wanted to explore, but now know I really don't.  Sitting and listening is an important part of any journey, ensuring you don't get lost along the way.

4.  I was getting very frustrated one day, working on a piece.  A friend said to me, "you're supposed to have fun with your hobby".  Probably, that's true.  But sometime, creating my art just isn't fun, it's down right agonizing.  However, I don't look at creating art as my hobby.  For fun, I bake, I garden, I read.  Art I create because I am compelled, as if something within forces me to do so.  It's got a life of its own, and I'm not always (even not usually) in control of the things that I do create.  They just happen-because they must happen.  I can ignore the book and neglect the garden.  I can't ignore the need to create art.

5.  So many people think there work isn't "good enough".  People all the time tell me, "you're so creative", "wow-I could never do that", "I like to make things, but they just aren't as good as that".   Well, I say the same things to other artists, and never think my work is as good as theirs, or good for anything really.  It's time for everyone to stop the negative chatter.  Do it if you love it, if you must do it, if you want to do it. What you create is part of you, and that alone makes it special.  We all drew pictures the same way when we were children, making masterpieces with crayons that got hung on the fridge,  We were all proud of them.  I don't know at what age we came to believe that what we create isn't special enough.  Embrace you inner child, and celebrate every piece.  I have pieces on my walls that I created that look like my kids made them.  Actually, I made them, and they hang because of the positive emotions I get from them.

6.  You just might learn something about your self by taking a look in your fridge.  Something more than what it is you're  likely to eat today.  One morning I opened my fridge and found its contents rather amusing.  Amusing enough to take a photo, anyhow.  It's almost empty, in need of washing, and predominately contains several bottle of alcohol, a box of polymer clay pieces, and a pile of bottles of thickened textile dye.  The only real food appears to be yogurt.  This portrait of my fridge paints a pretty good picture of my daily life!    

7.  I did have 2 small projects to do for different challenges this month.  1 was to simply make a 4" by 6" in piece of flat, non-dimensional art.  the other was to create a vision card to illustrate my favourite creative activity.  In an effort to meet both deadlines, I combined the projects and made a vision card with one of my favourite creative techniques-heat distressed textile.  Every moment in creating "The Path to the Moon" was a pleasure.

Having Focus

Here it goes.  Another month gone, though I feel like the year has just gotten started.  Lucky for me, it's a Leap Year and I've been gifted this extra day to refocus myself before continuing life.

I've told you about how my "Word of the Year" is Finish.  That word has sort of depressed me this month, because I have finished precious little.  Taking time this morning to reflect on my lack of finished items, I've decided that the situation isn't all that bad.  "Finish" is the word of the year, the whole year.  It's not supposed to provide instant gratification.  Finishing anything is a journey to work towards, that's why it's so satisfying when you come to the end.

My journey this month was about "Focus".  Learning to focus on the things that need to be done, and having the focus to see them through.  Learning to direct my focus on what it is I'm trying to achieve without letting other forces get in my way.  I must have more focus to avoid the "Pooh Bear Effect" (you know, the happily going about a task until a butterfly flies past, and you go chasing after it, leaving the original task behind syndrome?).  Focus is about paying closer attention to where I am and what I'm doing, so I can see things differently than I do, and notice things that I haven't noticed before.

Yesterday I looked over my to-do list for February and saw the list of 10 things I needed or wanted to do this month, and found only 3 of them finished.  I'm taking today as a gift, and focusing on the things that I did finish, the small achievements, rather than an unfinished list.

I've been keeping a daily journal this year; 2 actually.  In one I write down something positive that happened in my day (some days that's no so easy!) .  In the other, I write down the creative thing(s) I did each day.  Every day is about finding something creative to do!  Having this journal makes it easy to go back to later when I think, "I've accomplished nothing!", and see in writing all the things I have done, regardless of the 7 things still on the to-do list.  It's a fun task to make a journal page at the beginning of the month, with torn papers, stamps, paints doodles etc.

I did make my February vision card (focus).  I think it's rather cute.  I got much pleasure out of hand stitching this card, something I haven't had much time to do the last few years.  I also made a vision card for the challenge that Linda set out for those of us in her Creative Explores Club, this one showing why I joined the CEC.  For me, it's about learning to work from home and finding a new art family now that I'm not at the local college's textile program any more.  It's about growing into the person I want to be, from the ugly duckling into the swan.  I wrote a letter for the Letters to Home project.  I sculpted and painted the body parts for a doll that I'm happy with.  More than half a year of sculpting trying to get something right, and I've finally had my first small success! Oh, it was a happy day indeed the day I got this guy together!   I'm still stitching away on my Dryad quilt as well.  So sure, I didn't get everything done, but I think I've made a pretty good start.  I hope you have a creative day too!

Visions For My Year.

Last time, I told you about how my goal for the year is to finish projects.  That means focusing and finding time to finish creative projects, but I think it also means more.  Both in creative activities, and in living life.  It means persevering with a project, and working through all of its problems, instead of tossing it aside and starting anew.    It means giving strength to my voice, and saying, "I CAN do this", and not walking away.

It also means being able to recognize when something is finished, and not overworking it.  As well as "to complete", finish might also mean " to end", and my vision this year of "Finish" also involves ridding my life of the activities, items and relationships that aren't conductive to my life vision.

So, in an effort to stay focused on my vision for the year, I made a little piece of art as a reminder of my vision to "Finish".  The singing fat lady reminds me that it's not finished until she sings.  Her hourglass waist brings a focus to taking time for projects that need to be finished.  The back of the card features some of my favourite quotes about finishing.  All in all, a quick, fun, and inspirational project.

While "Finish" sums up my year's vision, I have a vision for the month as well.  Months seem a little more obtainable and manageable than years.  My word for this month was "reconnect".  January was the month to reconnect with some mentors, and get back on track with the projects that I was working on with them before Christmas came and disorganized everyone's lives.  It was also the month to reconnect within myself, taking the time to think about just what it is I want to be doing, and what I hope to achieve.  

While the word "reconnect" has deep meaning to me, it invokes images of dropped telephone calls and malfunctioning electrical appliances, so I went with that.  I rather like the couched on telephone wire.

Now, on to February.  Do please note, that this officially makes 2 finished projects!

Small Successes

Monkey's ornament

Every day this month, I've done something creative, and most days, it was something related to finishing an art project.  It is, however, almost the end of the month and I've been sitting here this morning thinking, "haven't I completely finished a single thing this month?"

Not that I'm discounting all of the things that I have done-the doll parts that have been sculpted, the stitches that have been put in my dryad quilt, the block of the month blocks-but surely in a month I should have made something small that's completely finished!

C. Bear's ornament

Oh yes! I do have finished a few small projects.  Early this month I made a few items as gifts.  The first 3 I made for my sister and nephews in the Leaf Pod Baby class taught by Marilyn Radzat; the boys ornaments made to suit their nicknames and my sisters ornaments to reflect her twin boys.

The other item was part of a gift exchange from last year that I haven't finished up with yet.  The sweet little fabric bead went nicely on this butterfly pendant I think.  This is my first go at wire jewelry making, and I really enjoyed the process.  I think I might have to play more with this technique sometime.  The pattern that inspired this pendant can be found here if you want to make something similar.

A Round of Applause

I'm still muddling through my sculpting journey.  I've had my clay supply restock over Christmas, and I'm back at it.  I think I may have actually had a small success with it today to.  I have a set of hand sculpted.  Unlike the last time I share with you my hands (http://jennleegordon.blogspot.com/2011/08/sculpting-continues.html), this time went better.  No broken fingers, no hairline fractures. No swearing (okay, maybe there was a little of that...).  Perhaps I should knock on wood now that I've said it, but I've sculpted hands!  I'm even happy with these!  Only problem I have with these, other than a few dreaded moonies,  is that the clay added for a second baking didn't bake to the same colour as the rest-but I really don't think it's going to matter after I apply paint.  Yay!

A Brand New Year

I don't make New Year's resolutions, because they generally get broken, and don't seem to leave much room for flexibility.  Instead, I've sat down and reflected on what it is I really want to accomplish this year.  If I change my mind, I can, without guilt, throw it out, and I have the freedom add to my vision as need be.  It is, after all, my life.

My main objective when it comes to my art this year, is to finish projects.  Yes, those of you who know me are probably laughing (not finishing projects has been a problem my whole life.  I have things here that I've been working on since I was 12 years old!), but I'm serious.  This is the year to finish projects.  It's all fine and good to say this, but I do have a plan.

First part of the plan was to identify what inhibits me from finishing work.  I have no problem starting it, but much doesn't get finished.  Why?  I don't seem to lack inspiration, and am always coming up with new project ideas.  Instead of starting each new project as it comes to me, I'm embracing the sketch book.  Write about it, drawn it, get all the ideas out on paper, and then put that away until I can give it all my focus.

Also, I need to be more mindful of what projects I take on.  Learning is great, but I have amassed enough knowledge over the past several years, to not need to take every class and workshop that I have opportunity to take.  I know what I want to achieve with my art, so before taking any workshop, I promise to ask myself, "will this help me develop my art?".  As a figurative artist, I probably really don't need to be taking that class in free-form patchwork.  Sure, it would be fun to attend, but I know the basics of that technique if I ever need to do it in one of my projects. Am I going to finish the quilt after the workshop ends?  Probably not.  So, just save myself the time, money, and space in the unfinished projects box (the lid hardly fits on that box now as it is!).  Don't take that workshop.  A workshop that will have value will come around, I know.

Limiting workshops should give me more time to focus on my own projects.  Not taking a class at the college this semester will cut down the number of projects I have going at one time.  Though I will miss having that weekly connection with other artists, I think I have to say, "thanks for teaching me, now I need to go use what I've learned".  I'm pleased to be in a place where I feel confident enough in myself to create freely and without doubt.

In order to stay true to the artist I want to be, I've decided it's time to go through that box of unfinished projects and get rid of the projects lingering that I know I am never going to finish.  There is no joy in working on something you hate.   Alternatively, accept that the project isn't finished because it isn't working, and reinvent it.  This is one such project.  I wasn't loving the design that ended up on this piece of boiled wool.  I kept working it with my embellisher , until finally structural integrity gave way and a great big tear developed (you can't see it too well in this photo maybe, but I assure you, it is there!).  Not knowing what to do with it, though not being able to part with it, it had a place in "the box" until I decided to cut it up and give it new life.  I like this now, making it so much closer to being finished.

This doesn't mean I'm not starting any new projects this year.  Of course I am!  I'm doing the free block of the month quilt that Craftsy is offering.  It's broken down into manageable bits, gives me a fun little break away from my projects, and at the end of the year if I follow along correctly, I have a nice little quilt to give someone for Christmas.  That's one less Christmas gift to panic about in December.  Win win situation there!  Because I know I create better with the company of others and I don't have the college with me now, I've registered for Linda Matthews' Creative Explorer's Club, which is all about time management and creativity.  

So, that's my plan for this year.  Finish projects.  What's yours?