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Day Three Hundred Sixty Five (Year Four)

Last day of year four of the blog today.  I figured the place to start in figuring out next year is the list of things I said I wanted to get done in 2014 when I made out my list for the year way back in January.  Here's what I had written down at that point:

1) Finish writing & recording an EP (at least)

I got started on this for sure, wrote and recorded a lot of music in February, and then mostly ignored it for the last few months.  Year five of the blog needs to see at least an EP completed (lyrics included).

2) Build on recent theory studies

This I've done fairly well on, too.  I'm definitely more comfortable theory-wise than I was at the start of the year, and I really feel like a good, strong push at the start of things here will help cement that.  Year five needs to be the year that being able to get what I hear in my head to come out through my fingers finally becomes a reality.

3) Take lessons again

Okay, so I haven't quite found time to fit this one in so far.  If nothing else, I'd like to find some time (maybe this fall) to take a few lessons, if only to help smooth out any of the rough spots in my knowledge.  So yes, Year five needs to have some lesson taking in it.

4) Expand teaching & sort out studio organizing

Instead of expanding my teaching, things have ground to a halt in that regard, although there are always a few people floating at the periphery of my life who claim that they'd like to take a few lessons.  Year Five either needs to see a bit of follow through in that regard, or needs to drop the idea for a little while.  I'll leave which choice entirely up to fate.

As for the studio organizing, I feel like I've done at least a somewhat decent job of that.  There are still some kinks to be worked out in the way that things are organized, however.  Year five needs to be about streamlining things enough to ensure that I know where to find the resources I need when I need them, and about getting file boxes and CDs up off of the floor.

5) Do better with the acoustic vs. electric split

Another thing I've done okay with.  Better, perhaps, at the start of the calendar year than I have been lately, but the first seven months of the year were still a marked improvement over the way things had been previously.  Year five needs to be about establishing better consistency when it comes to working with both instruments on a daily basis, and doing a better job of following through on progress that gets started.

6) More genre studies

Again, I started well in this area, only to taper off.  Year Five needs to keep a consistent pace, and have more follow through.

7) Play live

Haven't really touched this one at all.  Year Five needs to be about me exploring the opportunities that are out there where we live, trying to make some connections, and getting comfortable enough to be putting myself out there at some point.

All told, not a bad place to start things off.  I'm sure that more goals will be added as I go along, so definitely stay tuned.
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