Tag: goals

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What I Want to Do in 2021

I think we can all agree that we’re SO HAPPY to leave 2020. Granted, the first week of January’s been a hot mess, too. I chalk that up to 2020’s final gasps of desperation, like the attention gremlin it is.

With 2020 out of the way…

What’s Next?

This year, I’m going to have a theme for the year, not resolutions.

For me, the theme for 2021 is GROWTH. I want to grow my book catalog, my minicomic collection, and a LOT more. And I want to grow into new subjects and mediums.

To get there, I decided to play with numerology. I set 5 separate goals, because 2+0+2+1=5. And in those goals, I intend on making 5 things. Let me illustrate:

GOAL 1: Make 5 New Craft Pieces

I’ve been getting more hands-on this past year. But that also means unfinished craft projects. So I want to finish some crochet, sewing, and scrapbooking projects that have stuck around for too dang long.

GOAL 2: Release 5 New Minicomics

Funny story; a few weeks ago, I followed up with Quimby’s, whom I sell on consignment with. As I made minicomics to send to them for restocking their shelves, I realized something…

The stuff they wanted restocks for were over 5 years old.

My art has changed in the last 5 years. And I want my minicomics to reflect that growth. Also, there’s some story ideas and art tools that would work better in short form, rather than in graphic novels or novellas.

GOAL 3: Make 5 New 11×17 inch (or Larger) Prints

Real talk…I’ve been writing a lot more prose in 2020. But the art bug keeps biting me with those stories. These stories don’t want to be told as comics, though, so I’m going to draw select scenes and moments as large prints.

Also I have colored pencils and watercolors that I REALLY want to use to make more art. So these prints would be a good candidate for those. (Who knows? Maybe I’ll make some minicomics with these tools, too.)

GOAL 4: Release 5 New Books

This book count includes my own books, PLUS Sean’s book and a comics anthology project I’ve joined recently. I just really want Fantasyville Productions to grow its foundation of authors and creatives! And the world needs BOOKS!

GOAL 5: Make 5 Videos on YouTube

NO, NOT LIVESTREAMS. Livestreams are fun, but they don’t count for this goal.

Instead, I want to grow into making animatics and short animations. And since I’ve joined TikTok recently, I may even make compilation videos of some of my own TikToks and post them on YouTube. (btw follow me on TikTok at kelcidc.)

“This is a lot of making stuff,” you might be thinking. “Why not have your theme be ‘Make’?”

Because I want to grow into new mediums, subject matter, and topics and challenges this year. Making things is the vehicle to grow into those challenges.

Will things get uncomfortable on the journey? I guarantee it. When trying out new things, there’s always discomfort. But I look forward to the challenge. After the trials of 2020, I look forward to seeing what this year will do.

Since this is a LOT of stuff I want to make, I’ll be blogging and posting on social media more often. So stay tuned for more updates!

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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I (Kinda) Made My 2020 Goals!

Weird, right?! In a year that needs no explanation for the dumpster fire that it is…I actually made my goals!

Kind of.

Every year, I blog about the goals from the past year, followed by the goals in mind for the year incoming. If you’d like to see the original post about 2020 goals, here it is.

But just what WERE my goals for 2020?

Thumbnail/Script The Legend of Jamie Roberts to completion.

Ok, so I didn’t get all 20 (ish) chapters sketched out. BUT, I DID get 10 and a half. I even managed to script through some REALLY tricky plot points, so I consider that a success!

That said – moving to a new home did cut into my scripting routine. And it was hard to jump back after that. I have since learned to be a LOT kinder to myself with goals of “do this thing every day.”

Get Sean’s Book Published

So the book is ALMOST ready to get to print. I’m working with my editor on the final round of edits for these short stories.

This goal took a while to get off the ground properly because I wanted to hire an outside editor. I didn’t have the time to do edits, because of working with NeverEnding, making The Legend of Jamie Roberts, and taking up part-time gigs with DoorDash and Instacart.

ALL OF THAT, plus my first editor just…dropped off the face of the earth. And the second one did NOT do a good job.

The third editor? I went to my old college friend Melanie Doan to work with Sean and me on edits. Holy banana pants she knocked it out of the park!

Like I said, we’re doing the final passes. The goal post for publishing kept moving, so I’m not making any promises for when this book will go to KickStarter.

Read 1 New Comic Per Week

Well, to be honest, I shut down the Indie Comics Hub – the biggest reason I set this goal. That said, if we expand this to reading more books generally, then 2020 was my best year so far.

By Dec 31, 2020, I read 23 books, including graphic novels. However, I did not count single-issue comics, zines, or minicomics in that count. If I did, it’d probably be double that. Possibly triple? It’s hard to say.

Unfortunately, moving to a new home played a role in this, too. I had to leave behind my single-issue comics and a large chunk of my zines because they just. Couldn’t. Fit. In the Truck.

But 23 books? And untold numbers of single-issue comics and zines? I’d say that’s pretty good. Better than 2019, at least.

So what’s in store for 2021? Well, I’m going to write about that next post.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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My Goals for 2020

I’ve been thinking about my goals for 2020.

After I did some journaling and thought exercises (thanks to this 3-part video series from Marie Forleo, called Decade in Review), I realized that I accomplished a LOT in ten years.

I graduated college, got my art showcased in a gallery, published a LOT of books, got a table at SPX (my dream come true!), and SO much more.

So I’m eager to see what the 2020s will bring!

But I want to do more than just look at my goals for 2020. I want to make some goals for the next decade.

You may remember from my bullet journal post that I stated: I overestimate what I can do in a day, and underestimate what I can do in a week.

Well, the same is true for years and decades.

I overestimate what I can do in a year, but underestimate what can be done in ten years.

If you haven’t done the decade in review exercise, I HIGHLY recommend you try it. It’s a good way to tap into not only what you’ve done, but what you KNOW you can do in the near future.

With that in mind…

I’ve thought and pondered over goals, and I’ve decided on these top 3 for next year.

Why 3? Because I’ve learned from this year that setting more than 3 goals makes it hard to accomplish any of them. So 3 AT MOST.

Here’s my top 3 goals for 2020:

  • Thumbnail The Legend of Jamie Roberts in its entirety.

I’m a little ashamed to admit that The Legend isn’t entirely written out. I have an OUTLINE. The first seven chapters are written. But the second half of the story still needs to be scripted.

To achieve this goal, I’m going to draw one thumbnailed page in my sketchbook every day (except Sunday). That’s 313 pages to sketch out overall. While I don’t think The Legend of Jamie Roberts will be THAT long, it’s still a good goal to have to sketch a page a day.

  • Read 1 new comic per week

I’ll be blunt: outside of The Legend of Jamie Roberts and commissions and freelancing, I’ve been in a creative rut. Part of that is due to… just working a lot. But part of that is also due to my not reading very many comics anymore.

Also, I started Indie Comics Hub with the goal of reviewing indie comics. And I’ve been woefully lax in actually reading indie comics and enforcing deadlines on myself.

So I hope that by reading one new comic every week, I not only get the creative juices flowing – I also get to write reviews to post up on Indie Comics Hub for comics readers to enjoy.

  • Get my friend Sean’s book to print

I promised my friend Sean that I would help him get his collection of prose and poetry to print. It’s been a dream of his to see it happen, and I know more than he does about publishing books, so I offered to help.

That said, I’ve been taking my time to help him with this. (Sorry, dude. I had a lot going on).

But 2020 is going to be different, dammit! We’re going to get these stories together, and we’re going to get them to print.

(And if we can do it without using Amazon, that’s even better in my book).

What about my goals for the next decade?

Oh, I have some big goals in mind to accomplish in the next ten years. Like…

  • Paying off my student loans entirely (my pipe dream is to do this in 5 years).
  • Saving up for – and getting – an RV to live in, and
  • Learning how to sew to make my own dresses.

I will certainly be doing more than this – it’s a decade, after all – but these are my top 3 picks for Goals for the 2020s.

What are your goals for next year? How are you going to keep track of them? I’d love to know!

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Goals for 2017

self portrait new mexico by christian beranek
Photography by Christian Beranek

Alright, first blog post of 2017, almost a full week after the new year has started.

First, I want to catch y’all up on what’s been happening.

For the last two to three weeks of December 2016, I was not only celebrating Christmas and New Year’s with the family, but also…

  • mailing out Thoughtful Dinosaur rewards,
  • finishing a gig I started before Halloween,
  • finishing a private commission, and
  • preparing to transition to full-time freelancing for 2017.

You read right – due to some surprise circumstances from just before Christmas, I will be transitioning to full-time freelance work by the end of February 2017.

As such, when I thought of my New Year’s Resolutions, I thought about what would help me not only stay on track for work, but keep me happy and healthy while working out of a home studio.

(Not to mention that with the ACA being repealed, I would have no health insurance, meaning one of my safety nets would be gone. Gotta stay healthy so I don’t bankrupt myself on the Right-Wing Reich’s medical bills.)

With all this in mind, I came up with three goals to achieve daily: everyday I will

  • Draw one page in my sketchbook,
  • meditate, and
  • write 500 words.

These are to help build up to my big goals of the year:

  • make more art to compile into books, print series, and sketchbooks,
  • edit/rewrite 3 comic scripts to completion, and
  • de-stress more easily,

There are other goals in mind, but most are finance-related and I don’t want to go into those (unless you WANT me to talk about personal finance, in which case leave a comment below and let me know).

There is one other goal I have, but it has a bit of a varying schedule. That is to keep exercising and stay in shape.

My current day job keeps me active, but when I go freelance full-time, that day job activity is gone. I’ll need new ways to keep in shape.

This is going to sound like a sponsor but it isn’t – thankfully I have an app called 7 Minute, which times you through a 7-minute long workout. There’s the classic, abs, legs, and butt workouts to choose from, which is quite the change – back when I first had the app, the last two workouts had to be purchased or unlocked by doing specific circuits. Now that I uninstalled the app, then installed it again, the workouts are just there.

Another goal I have (because I’m an overachiever but also like incorporating new things into my routine) is to write songs on the ukulele.

purple ukulele

This adorable cutie is my new ukulele. Her name is Freddy.

I’ve played ukulele before, but only memorized four chords to heart. Not only that, but I know near-nothing about music theory or how to write songs.

To correct this, I’m going to practice more chords more often, and train my ear and musical ability with a new app that is also not sponsoring this, Perfect Ear.

Keep in mind, though, that my musical background up to now has included a brief stint in concert music in middle school, a failed stint at learning guitar, a successful gig learning to play Taiko drums, and playing ukulele for a year before leaving it for nearly two and coming back to it now.

So, if you have tips or tricks on learning to play instruments and get better at them, or how or what to practice, please leave a comment below.

The other goals I have (drawing, writing, and meditating everyday) I have done before. Now it’s just a matter of getting back into the swing of it.

Next blog post I’ll be talking more about what to expect when I break out of the day job in February.

Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Thoughtful Dinosaur’s KickStarter Run is Done

thoughtful dinosaur comic panel promo

Oh. My. Holy. Banana. Pants.

Thoughtful Dinosaur has been fully funded for its first print run, and we got way over our initial goal! So now backers will get not only the books, but they’ll get KickStarter-exclusive postcards and buttons (or pins, if you prefer to call them that). Pretty. Darn. Sweet.

Further updates regarding Thoughtful Dinosaur will now be happening over on the KickStarter page, and the updates will be public – for the most part. Of course there will be backer-only updates with information that regards them in particular, but everything else will be available for the public. That means you’ll see updates on how the book printing is going, what the buttons will look like, and lots of other fun stuff!

Again, be sure to check the Thoughtful Dinosaur page for more updates.

In other news, I have a timeline in mind for leaving the day job (yes, I have one. If you want to know what’s going on, read this post). It’s not immediate, but the goal is to be able to leave there and get something new going by April 2017.

What’s the plan for work after the day job? Right now my mind’s on freelancing full-time, which means saving back money until I can make the leap, but nothing is set in stone (yet). I want to stay open for new possibilities!

One possibility is doing more gallery work – Patrons on Patreon know I’ve been working on some new illustrations and paintings, as they’ve been getting snapshots of my works-in-progress. There’s a local gallery looking for new artists, and the deadline to submit a portfolio is December… or possibly January. One of the members there told me it changes depending on the weather, literally.

PLUS! I’m getting The Case of the Wendigo ready for launch within the next two weeks! Stay tuned for more updates.

So there’s some excitement on the horizon! Be sure to check back again by Tuesday.

Thank you for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.