Resolution

Everyone uses the word 'resolution' this time of year.  Most of us make New Year's Resolutions each and every year, and, if you're honest with yourself, you'll admit that they're usually the same ones over and over again, aren't they?  Wait a minute.... Maybe that's why the word starts with 'RE' ?  Hmmm, I never quite thought of it that way.  So, we address problems in our lives, and figure there might be solutions for them, based on something we could do as a correction or adjustment.  Then year after year, new attempts to generate these same solutions are just repeated.  I'm not in charge of the dictionary, but I'm pretty sure I've come up with a better way to define the term resolution, (and it should be hyphenated).

At any rate, here I go again, attempting to improve on some of the same areas as last year.

Exhale..... lose weight, get organized, be nicer to everyone, be generous and unselfish, blah, blah, blah...  These things hardly count.  Aren't these things I should always care about?  Let's pretend I didn't just list them as resolutions.  I'm just going to single out another goal to work on, one that you'll believe when I say "I MEAN IT!"

In my house, projects are notorious for being started and often not being finished.  Maybe one in four are seen to completion.  See?  Right there!  Did you notice how I phrased that?  I didn't even take the blame for this problem, but credited my projects for having a mind of their own.  What I should've said is, "I start projects all the time, and I often don't finish them!"  Now, that's a step in the right direction. 

In order to continue making progress, I am vowing to work on an old project in between each new project.  Sometimes, new work comes with a deadline all its own, and those may be out of my control, but for the most part, I'd like to insert old projects in my schedule, and check some of these old gems off my list.

First up, a not-so-old project, but one I stalled out on nonetheless.  I'm dusting off the 11x14 panel of a graphite drawing I started last fall.  Meet 'Enduring the Countdown':

I'm sure you can't blame me for working on this dude's more interesting areas and leaving his tedious knitted hat alone!  Why does it have to be knitted?  (I ask myself that a LOT!)  Well, it's more challenging, and when done correctly, it'll elevate this piece to new heights, so I haven't talked myself out of it yet.  Given that I am going to render the outer areas in a sloppy scribbled style, I want everything inside the middle square to seem as realistic as I can manage.  Neither hand is done yet, but the one on the left is closer.  I don't believe the skull needs any more work.

To add a degree of difficulty to my resolutions, not only will I hope to start cleaning up my Old Project list, I will be attempting to spend time every single day MAKING something, whether it be new or old.  Maybe it'll just be dinner, but if I can be creative while I'm at it, I'll tell ya about it.  I should think this would give me plenty to blog about, if properly documented.  So to put additional pressure on myself, let's just assume that I'll blog much more often, as if this exercise is an important part in keeping me motivated (instead of intimidated... yeah, right!).  And, in keeping with the nature of the symptoms of multiple creativity disorder, these blog posts may not be in chronological order, and they may hop all over the place media-wise, but they surely will show some finished work now and then.  I am resolute in this goal.  Be back soon!