Recently I was inspired to set goals for myself in 2011. I’m not naturally a goal setter or visionary, unlike my husband, Kevin.

I came up with this: "Create something every week for the entire year." This echoes what my 11th grade art teacher told me, “just to draw, paint, or make something, keep creating.” Part of creating is messing up and starting over which I’m, quite frankly, afraid of. I have the worst habit of starting something and then finishing it. I’m afraid at the onset of a project… “How do I start this to make it what I want it to be in the end?” “What if I mess up with the first stroke of my brush?” “What if I have lost my creative touch?” When I am nearing the end of a project I think… “What if I hate how it turns out?” You are your worst critic, right? I am no exception. Maybe we’ll see some paintings this year that I started 4 years ago that sit in a corner waiting to be finished. This blog itself will be a test of that. I’m starting this today and will finish on December 31st 2011 with 52 completed projects or more…with pictures to prove it.

FINISHED pieces each week will include, but I won’t limit myself to: drawings, paintings, graphics, photography, sewing, DIY home decor, refurbishing old furniture. I have to create with one condition (that Kevin added), to create what I want and love, not creating to satisfy a client or the general public.

Part of this may be a journey to develop a style all my own. We’ll see.

:: Rachel

P.S. Thank you Kevin for challenging me.