A Belated Hello to 2010

Yes, I know it’s now January 13th, and traditionally I think one should publish a retrospective of the year past and resolutions for the year to come slightly earlier in the month, but just for a change it’s all been a bit manic.

I started this blog close to a year ago with the renovation of my room of junk into a proper workshop. It seems like forever ago now! The purpose of the blog was to write about my experiences in setting up a creative business, both good and bad, and to motivate me to continue.

Looking back on that blog post from January 2009 makes me smile. It was all full of bouncy optimism, and I had no idea what I would be able to achieve – I didn’t make a plan, or set any particular goals. I was just happy to pick up a pencil.

In the end, though, I think I achieved more than I could have imagined. The year 2009 was a year of firsts. Looking back through the blog, I’ve learned to make small hats, become obsessed with fabric, learned how to use silver clay, resculpted and repainted a mannequin head, invested my performance bonus from work in a whole load of new tools, set myself impossible deadlines (and met them), made tiny silver crash helmets and stripy socks, and designed my first ever business cards. I’ve been to Torture Garden for the first time, I’ve made my first ever thing for a complete stranger, who just happened to have come across my work on my blog. I’ve made wedding rings for friends, I’ve worked with gold and diamonds on some earrings for my mum, I’ve learned a whole lot about photography and discovered the amazingness of Lightroom as an editing program. Oh, and I also made a hell of a lot of cupcakes...

All in all, 2009 was pretty awesome :) I focused, I worked really hard, and I think I accomplished rather a lot, especially seeing as I have a full time job and all. But also, I had a lot of fun in 2009. I got to skate a few times, despite having given up being on a team, I had one of the best birthdays ever and I even had time for a holiday in the sunshine.

So, moving forward now, I guess I should make some plans, or at the very least some New Year’s resolutions...

The main thing that will be different this year, is that I am moving in with my lovely and long suffering boyfriend in exactly 10 days! This makes me very happy, as it will finally feel like we’re a proper couple, rather than both of us trying to find time in a hectic schedule for the other. Our new flat is rather splendid and has a spare room for me to turn into a workshop again. Having become so used to my own space, my first resolution will definitely have to be less of a control freak :) I must learn that everything will not be done my way, that there must be compromise. That everything doesn’t need to match perfectly and that clashing styles and ideas can work together just as well. Neither of us has really properly lived with a partner before, so we will muddle through together. And it will be ace :)

So, as with January 2009’s entry, I shall be bouncy, positive, and excited about the year to come, but will make no targets and set no specific goals for now. Well, it worked pretty well last year...