This year on my annual “slow down time to go camping for 2 weeks mostly immersed in the past and gaining great campfire therapy in bardic circles” I was inspired…  I am inspired every year and want to do something new- I am also disappointed every year that I haven’t gotten to the things I would have liked to have had done before that year.  So, this year I applied my planner brain to my hobby and made some simple objectives.  For those of you who have been through my trainings you know that objectives are measurable, specific, and reasonable.  They differ from goals which are broader things you want by breaking them down into the things to do to get what you want.  Now, before anyone lambastes me for applying logic to my fun life and thus making it no fun, I assure you that I started this with the belief that getting things done will improve my overall enjoyment of my hobby and create less of the disappointment next year with not having projects done that I wanted done.  And in tiny baby steps it already is having that effect!  3 months in and I am loving the results…in fact they have started exceeding expectations… but I am getting ahead of myself.

What started with a goal of “Upping my game” was focused by the fact that I most enjoy beautiful garb and song and wanted to get things done and expand my repertoire in both areas.  So, I created two simple objectives-

1. Finish one piece of garb each month

2. Memorize a new song each month- prepped for performance

The results so far?  With August being only half a month after I got back I still got a set done that month and have been a little ahead of myself since then.  I have also teetered on the one piece of garb being pre-1600 or not since I do other periods and have deadlines for some of those pieces… Currently my freshly memorized songs have been all by Heather Dale- partly what drifted to the front and wanted to be learned with a special request deadline thrown in and a museum program deadline.  I though that as I go I should keep track of what has been the result f the challenge so far.

August- finished Geometric Tunic with hand felled seams, memorized “My Only My Own” by Heather Dale, posted video with both for the demanding daughter…

September- finished Viking apron dress with hand felled seams, memorized “Lily Maid” by Heather Dale and “The Old Duke” as a marriage proposal request for a friend

October- cut and started a rain cloak that I’ve been kicking myself for 5 years not having done, got sidetracked by fixing a regency gown and making a Civil War era Mourning Gown for Halloween, memorized “Skeleton Woman” by Heather Dale for use at our Tales and Treats program with ghost stories and other ghostly/bonesy songs

Not quite Halloween yet, but I was afraid I’d start losing track of these.  Some will overlap with my A&S 50 challenges as I start doing clothiers workshops but more modern projects are coming up on the event deadline radar…

Regency Pelisse for a Nov presentation, Victorian winter wear for Victorian Holiday Faire, early Italian Ren for Twelfth night, the double layer Viking Coat I’ve been meaning to make for COLD, the portrait reproduction fur lined early Tudor gown that keeps me up at night…