Slowly Creeping Forward

Well, January's officially past the halfway mark. So far, the new year's been decidedly cruddy to many people on the periphery of my existence. Health issues, neighbor issues, money issues, computer/machinery issues... My sister commented that this feels like a year designed to shake people out of their comfort zones, and it sure seems to be doing so.

How has it shaken me? Well, there's the tricky part. It hasn't, at least not yet. In fact, I already hit one of my bonus resolution points, and am on track to keep the main one it was attached to. I've been devoting an hour nearly every day (only two exceptions thus far) to creativity. I started with my art, because it seemed like the easiest place to start - not to mention the fact that I haven't made much progress on my art skills since I last updated Skyhaven, which has lain dormant for so long I recently received a concerned e-mail wondering if I was okay. (And, no, it's not just been the planned switch to Dreamweaver 8 that's taken so long. A significant part of the problem was that my attempts to create new and improved templates failed so miserably I gave up on them.) So, I decided to go back to basics: anatomy studies and the like. I started an online sketchbook at ConceptArt to track my progress and give me some manner of accountability. Why ConceptArt? Because I've been lurking and drooling there for far too long. In that time of lurking and drooling, I've also been watching. These people range from rank amateur to veteran pro. These people aren't afraid to create. And furthermore, these people won't play games; it's a place where one can get honest critique and truly helpful guidance, not to mention a smack across the face if you start whining about "no talent" or being "misunderstood." I don't see anything like that on DeviantArt or other art sites - most of what I see there is internet high school, riddled with in-clubs and cliques and people who tear you apart if you dare suggest that maybe someone's art could use a bit more polish. (The rate of art theft's higher there, too, due to mods who don't always seem willing to take action.) Granted, there are exceptions to every rule, but on the whole I figured ConceptArt was the way to go, both in spite of and precisely because of the fact that it is not the Easy Way Out. I've been taking the Easy Way Out for too long.

How's it been going? Better than expected. I've even had a few people comment on my stuff; it's not as horrid as I sometimes think it is. Not only is this a confidence booster, but it helps keep me going and posting on an almost-daily basis. I'm even slowly working my way back into writing regularly, since the sketchbook's going reasonably well. I'm starting to wish I could find a writing equivalent of ConceptArt, though I suspect I'd have a much harder time sharing my writing scraps than my sketchbook pages. And this spawns other, possibly dangerous notions of what I can accomplish. I'm looking at online tutorial sites to update my Internet skills and overhaul my websites. I'm thinking about what I could most easily crank out for internet-based sales on Etsy or eBay.

So, sixteen days into 2009, I'm actually starting to feel almost accomplished. I'm starting to think maybe I can move forward in life. And that's why I keep looking over my shoulder, waiting for Life's nail-riddled two-by-four to catch me upside the head.