It's that time of year again.
Many of us are taking stock of our lives, making plans for the coming year and making promises to ourselves that likely won't be kept. It's a time when we traditionally start over and then fizzle out of our new ways long before we should. So is it worth it to even try?
My main goal for the coming year is to cut down on e-mail. I subscribe to a lot of newsletters but there is no way I have time to read them all, especially if I start watching the art videos that often come attached. I spend more time deleting e-mail than actually reading it each day, and still, it piles up. My current method is to do a search for whatever comes up first and delete all the old stuff. A lot of that may be unread, but it's old now so it can disappear along with the newer editions. My new strategy is to unsubscribe from the ones I find that are mostly unread. I can make a list of who they are from and the subject matter in case I ever want those back.
If I want to keep up with what certain artists are doing, I can probably just subscribe to their YouTube channel and look to see what's new when I'm in the mood.
Making a list of authors and unsubscribing from their e-mails for the time being would also be a good idea. Sure they offer me free books to review, but I have several years worth of reading material stacked up waiting for me as it is. I don't really need to add to it, no matter how new it is. The one author whose books I could never pass up past away this year. Rest in peace Matthew Mather. You will be missed.
Most of what's left would be from retailers, offers for free stuff and samples and of course, surveys. I might as well get rid of the retail e-mails as many of those require apps these days anyway. I'm keeping the surveys and e-mails that offer me free products. I love getting new products in the mail when all I have to do is tell the rest of you what I think of them. I don't even have to pretend to like something. Fot instance, I recently got three products all at once. They are meant to work together but you could use any of them individually. I love one and have no use for another. The third one is okay for this time of year but not something I would ever buy. They are full sized products and I will happily tell the truth about what I think of them when I do my reviews. The surveys provide me with enough mad money to buy things online when I want something.
This e-mail elimination is going to take longer than many of you imagine, but if I sunsubscribe a few each day I might win this battle eventually.
The second thing I want to do (the first, actually, but if I do it first, then I'll never get around to the job mentioned above) is to get back to making my own art. I have slipped into learner mode. I have been painting and drawing along with instructors. I must be getting better as I have had several requests from people wanting to buy things. Because they were done as part of a course, I was not at liberty to sell them. Also, I have been working mainly in sketchbooks the past couple of years. I plan to buy a new block of watercolour paper in a size larger than what I have previously used. They are not cheap so I will spend some of my survey money on that. I have already built a file of pictures to inspire me. Wish me luck.
I think these are worthwhile goals. While I may never totally eliminate the excess e-mail, I can at least put a dent in it so I will have time to paint.
Oh, and who knows, I might get back to blogging more often too, now that life is a little more normal and I'm back to doing things.
May you all have a very happy new year.
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