Happy New Year everyone! I've just had my New Years guests, windiain, barakta, kimble, gerwinium and meeping head back home (or did hours ago when I started writing this) and now I find myself in a retrospective mood. So, here's my review of 2008...

January started out with my focus on music, having got a xaphoon for xmas and having heavily practised and developed my flute playing throughout the holidays. However graphic novels I got for xmas and read during January inspired me to also work on my artwork so I could draw comics. As a result of this I began to try drawing a person every day. I soon noticed there was a huge gap in the quality of my traditional pencil art compared to my digital art due to hand-eye coordination issues with a graphics tablet, so by the end of the month I decided to take the plunge and rather than buy I simple laptop, I instead bought a Wacom PenAbled tablet PC.

The first half of 2008 was then a mixture of music and artwork. Music won out in February when I attended the British Filk Convention 2t0nic and had a fantastic time getting to sing to and with like minded science fiction and fantasy fans. I wrote a number of new filks and also later attended a singing WiGGLE meet up (but then missed the other two later in the year due to being bad with dates and one clashing with Nottingham Pride).

Soon after, I attended the EasterCon, Orbital 2008, which would have to be the most fantastic convention I've ever been to. I had so many brilliant discussions, went to every filk circle and met so many cool people including Mitch Benn and Cory Doctorow, but the high points would have to be the kaffeeklatsch with Charles Stross, and when Neil Gaiman said my HAL 9000 costume was 'cool' :)

In April I bit the bullet and signed up for Twitter having realised it was more than just lists of chores. Since then I've been neglecting full LiveJournal entries and mostly 'live blogging'. Apologies to those of you that like real entries, but I've at least got LoudTwitter shipping my tweets over every day again (not sure why it stopped still though).

In the second quarter, I was increasingly struggling with low energy levels and trying to be allowed some time working from home as an adjustment for my dyspraxia. After lots of stress arguing my point, the office was closed and everyone ended up working from home anyway! As a result my energy levels massively improved to the point where by the final quarter I wasn't having any problems with fatigue.

I spent several months cowering under the shadow of redundancy, then got made redundant at the end of November but ended up with a new job, also working from home, before I'd even worked my notice!

Throughout the year my obsession with Jonathan Coulton's music grew. Early in November I had a really fantastic time at my first gig, including acting as roadie, witnessing the sound check, meeting JoCo and Paul And Storm at the stage door with the fan forum and meeting up with a friend from university for the first time in 9 years!

The biggest development this year would have to be the improvements to my art skills. With the help of being able to draw directly onto the screen of the tablet PC and with lots of practice through taking part in and completing National Art Making Month 2008 in August, my artwork improved significantly with the image on the left being the very best kingfisher I could draw on June 25th and the image on the right being the very best kingfisher I could draw on December 24th - some improvement over six months I think you'll agree!

However once NaArMaMo started, I stopped practising my musical instruments. My flute, xaphoon and new autoharp now haven't been touched (other than to be tuned) since the end of July. In part this is because the community on deviantART gives me so much immediate feedback and encouragement for my art, while in comparison I can't share my music playing in the same way and even posting a new filk song barely gets any response. However, when I do play my music I really enjoy it, in the same way I enjoy drawing, so I'm really going to make an effort to play more music this year.

Another thing I'd like to achieve in 2009 is to start making some sort of comic strips - it was because of wanting to create comics that I started drawing and got my tablet PC, but I've ended up going more towards realism and full colour pieces, rather than working on comics (mostly because it turns out I seem to be most naturally good at colouring rather than line work, although I've also developed my line work). I think I'll try to put in some time to also work on comics as well as fan art and wildlife art this year. Perhaps by working through the exercises in the excellent Making Comics by Scott McCloud. I love to have got to the point where I can attempt to take part in 24 Hour Comics Day by October.

...so I've probably jinxed that from ever happening now having made it as a New Year's resolution ;)