At the rebirth of this blog and site, I feel like I should take a moment and clearly define the concrete goals I hope to achieve within the first year of this site.  I’ll be honest here and tell you that the inspiration for doing this goal setting blog post comes from one that I greatly admire—The Art of Non-Conformity.  Goal setting is crucial to planning great performances, mounting large artistic projects, or just managing life in general! I think it’s a good idea to outline some explicit goals for you and other readers to know what to expect in the coming months.

So let’s get right to it then. What can you expect from me between now and June of 2013?

By my birthday, June 16th 2013:

1.         I will strive to write a minimum of 2 blog posts each week, between 300-600 words each. These posts will explore new ways of thinking about performance and examining the culture of performance around the world.

2.         Create a “Declaration of Arts Independence” to inspire people to think about the arts in new light and to encourage performing artists to seek out relevance with their audience. It will question current practices and outline new outlets for artistic expression.

3.         Complete at least 20 artist profiles of performers, educators, and innovators who are changing the game in performance practices around the world. These articles will offer a sneak peak  into the creative process of some awesome people. These will be included in my goal of 2 blog posts each week.

4.         I will earn an audience of 1,000 followers of this blog and site (so please, share this site with your friends).  Notice that I said earn. It is important for me to write about art in a way that is compelling and relevant to a wide variety of readers, but I only want you to like my page on Facebook or this blog if you truly identify with what I say. I hope to offer inspiration that truly speaks to you.

5.         Create at up to 6 podcasts discussing innovation in the arts and performance.  These may be interviews with others in the field of performance, or me alone, but they are all intended to help study and expand the range and possibility of performance practice across genres and even into your everyday life.

6.         Research and write at least two guides to help performing artists or anyone who wants to lead an original and authentic life. I am sure the genesis of these guides will spring from the blog posts I write. You can help shape their content by sharing feedback on the posts you liked best.

7.         Document through my writing and blog posts how I am setting an example for other performers to take charge of their artistic careers and personal lives and make the most of every minute. I will strive to be as efficient and productive as I can be to– as we say back home in Kentucky—“practice what I preach.”

I hope that you will be there with me for the journey I am taking this year.  I hope that you will provide input on what you want to read about or issues that you would like for me to address. I hope that you will be inspired in some way by my efforts and work.  As I have said from the beginning, this blog is not about me, it is about inspiring all of us to perform better and dig a little deeper in all aspects of life.