New Years Resolutions

This past year has had some great moments, such as moving to the city and the recent elections. But it was also a difficult year, not in the same way as 2007 with its many tragedies and personal challenges, but nonetheless full of things we at CatSynth would like to put behind us.

In the spirit of looking forward, here are some resolutions for the new year:

  1. Write down everything. To-do lists, shopping lists, story ideas, art concepts, blog posts, reactions to things I see, books and music I want to look into, opinion pieces, random thoughts, and more.
  2. Write more consistently on CatSynth. Keep up with posts, especially timely things like music and art reviews, or reactions to news events. Of course, there will always be a focus on cats and music.
  3. Maintain the current schedule of at least one significant musical performance per month.
  4. Have at least one visual-art (i.e., photography and graphics) show before the end of the year.
  5. Join at least one additional volunteer or service program.
  6. Make five new close friends within the city limits.
  7. Re-make my studio into a space I want to spend my creative time in. That includes removing the clutter, and connecting everything up in a way that works.
  8. Remove things I don’t want, with the goal of reducing the contents of CatSynth HQ by 10%.
  9. Respond to all personal correspondence in under a week.
  10. Release a second album.
  11. Keep my financial decisions slightly less stupid that than those of the world at large.

This list may seem like a lot, but at the same time it is far from comprehensive if one looks back at the past year and things that could have been done better. But it’s a start. And a year from now, it will be interesting to look and see how many of these were successful, or at least still valid.

5 thoughts on “New Years Resolutions”

  1. It’s a winner of a list. Mind if I borrow it?

    The only hesitation I personally might have is the 10% de-cluttering. I was raised by parents who were children of the depression, and they saved everything — neatly, of course — because one never knew when that left-over scrap of fabric or bit of wire [or whatever] might come in more than handy, for oneself or friends and family. Now I’m not saying one should be a “collector” or the Collyer Brothers…

    http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2D91231F935A15753C1A9659C8B63

    …BUT I’m concerned about economic hard times.

    I’ve heard it said that it is infinitely better to hope for the best, rather than fear the worst. But like the old practical parable suggests, I’m inclined to tether my camel first…

    http://www.pegasuscoachinggroup.com/newsletters/mar2007.htm

    But then again, I’m an old dog and cling to what’s familiar. Oh, to be a cool cat like Luna!

    Happiest Mew Year to you both. >^..^<

    ps: can we use html??

  2. Yes, you can definitely use HTML. That’s one of the benefits of the recent upgrade 🙂

    Now on de-cluttering…I tend to hold onto things by nature, saving everything. It’s how I grew up as well. At the same time, clutter makes me very anxious. And I’m most comfortable, happy and inspired in really clean, modern spaces. So it’s always a bit of a dilemma.

    The studio area of CatSynth HQ is the poster child for this, it was stuffed with things that I can’t get rid of (and probably still won’t), equipment, books and toys. But while all of these things contribute to the creative process, the sum total is incredibly discouraging. I had to move it all for the construction, and so I’m thinking about how to redo it properly (one of the other resolutions).

    I think the first priority will getting as much neatly stored out of site as possible –
    but there just may not be enough room, and there are probably also some things I can really do without. The hard economic times adds another challenge – trying to “simplify” and organize will probably cost money, and deciding what is worth doing and not worth doing is going to be more difficult.

  3. Wow Amar, that’s a good list.

    De-clutter is a big ‘to do’. My family has a hard time to get rid of things, including me. Humour aside, when we moved years ago, the aim was to move to a smaller house (my brother married and got his own house), but we couldn’t, because we had too much stuff, even after throwing away a lot of things, and given away big items (ie – billiard and ping pong tables).

    You should see my bedroom – tons of stuff. On second thought, better not see the room. If only I am a magician and just wave my wand to make things disappear when I don’t need them, and reappear when I do.

    Good luck to everyone who’s trying to de-clutter.

  4. Happy New Year to you all! This is a great list. Mommy’s main goal is to budget better. She has so many hobbies things get out of hand sometimes.

    She also wants to keep up on her scrapbooking better (she just finished the 2007 albums) and keep up with jounaling so she remembers what the pictures are!

Comments are closed.