2024 Vocal Aspirations

When people ask me what I do, I say I'm an artist. A creator. A maker of many objects, realities, and undefined potential, still swimming in the unconscious recesses of my mind..

However, recently, I have taken up a hibernating state like nothing I have ever experienced before in my 29 years of existence. Seems I am at the mercy of the seasons, whether I like it or not. It’s the middle of winter and a time of rest, not manifest. Therefore, manifesting diddly squat seems to be the theme that dominates my days, and I can feel the annoyance of stagnation transforming into a spark of energy and drive ripening for utilization. 

Embodying this creative essence and producing tangible outcomes instead of stalling out in the contemplation stage of potential creation is beginning to take shape. Especially since I have financially committed to Vocal+ for an additional year. I crave to develop this exchange into a fruitful one. Vocal+ has been a part of my creative outlets for quite some time, BUT I haven’t managed to consistently utilize it's diverse platform. That changes this year. The more I put into this adventure, the more I will get out of it.

Ultimately, I want to create more in all ways I feel drawn to and storytelling/sharing is just one of them. Establishing these writing goals for 2024 will ultimately develop into positive habits and permeate into different sectors of my life. This equates to three achievable objectives.

Initially, I conjured up the daunting task of submitting to ALL the Vocal challenges in 2024. However, that goal felt a lot like I was setting myself up for guaranteed failure. I mean, it just takes ONE late submission or ABSENT submission to lead me straight into the face of DEFEAT. After reevaluating, I warranted injecting a reasonable amount of grace into this goal, so instead of submitting to 100% I will shoot for submitting to 80% of all the Vocal challenges for 2024. I mean 80% is leaps and bounds above what I accomplished previously, so even if I don’t hit this 80% mile marker at the end of the year, I know it will still be a drastic increase in my track record. 

Regarding my second self assigned assignment, the challenge prompts are consistently engaging and inspire me to imagine various story lines and possibilities I initially would not come up with on my own BUT I also have my inner uniqueness and creative juice that demands to be expressed. Over the years, I have had short story ideas accumulating into a never ending list and 2024 is the time to develop some into shareable tales with others. Putting another timeline on this objective makes me a touch nervous, but it’s a necessity. If I don’t, the chances of me putting it off increases drastically and never actually following through becomes a disheartening, familiar reality. Realistically, one short story a month should be a painless undertaking and manageable addition to my creative plate. 

Lastly, I have, like many others, developed this detrimental habit of “doom scrolling” during my time on the throne or whenever I open up my phone out of boredom. Instead, I will replace this damaging practice with reading other creators’ stories. Not only will I be helping myself by learning and exploring other writing ideas and styles, but also support my fellow creatives. I know one read doesn’t add up to much, not even a full cent in the bank account, but hey, every little bit helps. 

At the end of 2024 will all of this add up to transform me into an expansive artist? A productive creator? A maker of much and many works? I’d say so. Now all there is to do is stay committed, focused and follow through.