Grantblings

2014 Goals

Time to put down, on digital paper, some of the things I’d like to accomplish in 2014.  Just a post that I can look back at and review throughout the year and see how well I’m doing.  I attempted to do this in 2013 and only got part one of my goals typed out.  As for those jobs, I didn’t do so well.  Only got a visit to the Grand Canyon in.  I was lucky enough to book enough jobs to keep me floating in 2013 but did not find a steady job.  And I did not even look at Time Skippers in 2013.  Though, I did write a brand new 53,000 word novel so I’m not writing 2013 off completely as a literary loss.  Although, now I have two books I need to edit through.  Eventually.

So I’m going to list some goals below, but I wanted to talk about a sort of ‘big goal’ I have for 2013.  In the tail end of 2012, I went to Michaels at one point and bought a big bag of self-adheisive goggly eyes.  I then proceeded to stick them on random places to make faces.  Parking meters, salt and pepper shakers, my mom’s fancy salt holder in her kitchen, etc..  Just to add a little fun in random places.

Somehow, in 2013, I lost that.  At the beginning of December of 2013 I put on an old jacket and four some of the self adhesive goggly eyes in the pocket and instantly smiled.  And then later that day I stuck them on a light switch at the job I’m on.  It felt really good.  Someone even noticed them while I was standing there and asked if they’d always been there.  I said, “I don’t know.”

So, one of my goals for 2014 is to stick more goggly eyes on things.  Seriously.  It makes me happy to do it and, for the most part, it doesn’t bother anybody, so why not?  Might make a few other people smile as well.

Okay, on to other goals…

Participate in NaNoWrimo again.  This year I had it sort of easy because I wrote on a story I’d had in my brain for several years.  I have no such story now.  So I should start thinking of one.

Visit another state on vacation, not as part of a job.  I have a couple trips plans as part of work, and some possible ones as well, but I want to visit another state purely for vacation purposes.  Much like I did last year to Oregon.  Preferably a state I’ve never been to.

Continue make videos of Uncle Interloper projects.  I love making these short goofy videos with Uncle Interloper.  They are, usually, pretty easy to film, so I want to continue doing so.

Continue development on the Saturday Morning Media App.  I started on this and actually came up with something, but the result was not to my linking.  I’m currently looking into new ways to get this app out on the market and I need to find time to really delve into how to get it up and running.

Read more.  I have a stack of books from Christmas 2012 that I need to get through.  Not to mention the ones I got in 2013!  I’d like to read more this year.

‘Thoughts on Creativity’ Blog.  At the beginning of last year I started the daily practice of coming up with a sentence or two about some aspect of creating and posting it on Twitter & Facebook.  This seemed to get a lot of traction and I actually got feedback from people saying they looked forward to it everyday.  After a few months, I sort of ran dry but I kept a record of all the things I posted and put them in a file. Then at random times throughout last year I would take one of the thoughts and write a 300-500 word blog post using that sentence as a springboard.  Starting next Monday, January 6, 2013, I will begin posting these here on this blog.  My goal is to do one a week, so fifty two. We’ll see how it goes.

Record more audio but look at different ways to promote/distribute.  I produced a lot of podcasts this year.  Not counting the video episodes of Uncle Interloper stuff and the Advent Calendar show, I produced twenty one episodes of Thunder Crester and Fifteen episodes of Deputy Guppy.  I just need to find a better way of distributing them.  The schedule of one episode a week, more so with Guppy, has sometimes been a little grinding.  Different ways I can handle this, go to a more lax schedule (bi-weekly) or treat these podcasts like a author treats a book or musician an album.  Work on the season until it is complete and then release it as a CD/digital download as well as podcasting it.  I think it’d be an interesting model.  Have the full season for sale so those who want to support the cause or listen to them all in on fell swoop can do so.  And those who want to get it for free via podcast, they can.  This may also lead to my first foray into Kickstarter or something similar.  At the beginning of last year I made it a rule to pay each person who came a did a voice for me at least something.  I can’t afford ‘scale’ voiceover rates, but I gave them something.  Because of this I need to find a way to start monetizing the podcasts.  The traditional podcasting ways aren’t working and though I’ve pushed these shows to the Dr. Floyd crowd, it doesn’t seem to have been accepted by them.

Find someone who will get me meetings.  I create a lot of content.  I have the content that I put out and then a ton of ideas in notebooks, computer files, etc.  People always ask, “Why aren’t you pitching this.” and the answer is simple:  I’ve got no one to get me meetings.  For 2014, I’d like for that to change and find someone who will get me meetings to pitch these ideas.  My ideas ARE just as good as any of the ideas that are getting made.  SO this year I find someone to help me get those pitch sessions.

And that’s the short list for 2014.  And now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve to go go stick goggly eyes on something.