01-01-2013, 03:27 PM
For my second deathline, I'm going to focus on singularly accomplishable tasks and not make the mistake of having a lofty goal hanging over my head with no clear path of how to get there. I said this in the end cap of my first deathline, but I pretty much abandoned my first deathline about 2/3 in. It was for the better though because after my daughter was born and I jumped back into working, I didn't feel like I had to do something just because I said I was going to do it. I knew it was poorly planned pretty early on but stuck with it because there was benefit to studying every day. It was supposed to go from 2/1/12 – 2/1/13 – by late November I realized I was going to just start new on 1/1/13 with a fresh deathline. But this post isn't about last deathline. It's about the next one. I saw Dan post his new deathline the other day and it lines up pretty well with what I had in mind for myself in a couple of ways. So I'm going to match him on his first one. So here we go!
1.Finish something every week
Not finishing anything but studies was the real death of my first deathline. Lately I've been pumping much more time into personal stuff but it still needs to be better. But there also is the trap of putting in too much time on pieces and I've fallen into that as well. So I want to focus on creating something finished every week. It can be personal, for a challenge, or maybe even something for a commission if it fits the criteria of being something I put in my portfolio.
2.Sketch every day
Sketching used to be a bodily function for me. Since beginning to work as a graphic designer 6 years ago, that sort of fell away. I want to get back to that. I need to just pour out ideas and feel in tune with who I am as an artist, what I like and what I don't like. To do that, I'm committing to sketching every day. It can be traditional or digital. It doesn't matter. But I need to sketch and scribble. Things I will be focusing on are 1) ideas 2) applying fundamentals 3) design
3.Health - physical, financial, mental
I didn't set any health goals last deathline, but I did pack on a few pounds during my wife's pregnancy and haven't made health a priority since I dropped 35 pounds a few years ago. So for this, I'm simply going to mandate that I get back into the routine I was in back then which is to track calories in and out. That means recording what I eat and getting back into running 5-7 miles a day like I used to.
To be financially healthy, I have to do more paid work. To get more paid work, I need a portfolio. So we're just back to deathline item here. I'm not setting this as a goal on its own. I have to focus on the little things and know that the big picture is the result that will come on its own.
I'm not mentally unhealthy other than that I don't sleep enough. But I began reading much more in 2012 and I'd like to add to that in 2013. I'm making it a point to read way more than I did in 2012. I'm aiming for 2-3 books/month.
So let's do this!
1.Finish something every week
Not finishing anything but studies was the real death of my first deathline. Lately I've been pumping much more time into personal stuff but it still needs to be better. But there also is the trap of putting in too much time on pieces and I've fallen into that as well. So I want to focus on creating something finished every week. It can be personal, for a challenge, or maybe even something for a commission if it fits the criteria of being something I put in my portfolio.
2.Sketch every day
Sketching used to be a bodily function for me. Since beginning to work as a graphic designer 6 years ago, that sort of fell away. I want to get back to that. I need to just pour out ideas and feel in tune with who I am as an artist, what I like and what I don't like. To do that, I'm committing to sketching every day. It can be traditional or digital. It doesn't matter. But I need to sketch and scribble. Things I will be focusing on are 1) ideas 2) applying fundamentals 3) design
3.Health - physical, financial, mental
I didn't set any health goals last deathline, but I did pack on a few pounds during my wife's pregnancy and haven't made health a priority since I dropped 35 pounds a few years ago. So for this, I'm simply going to mandate that I get back into the routine I was in back then which is to track calories in and out. That means recording what I eat and getting back into running 5-7 miles a day like I used to.
To be financially healthy, I have to do more paid work. To get more paid work, I need a portfolio. So we're just back to deathline item here. I'm not setting this as a goal on its own. I have to focus on the little things and know that the big picture is the result that will come on its own.
I'm not mentally unhealthy other than that I don't sleep enough. But I began reading much more in 2012 and I'd like to add to that in 2013. I'm making it a point to read way more than I did in 2012. I'm aiming for 2-3 books/month.
So let's do this!