So this is New Year..

It’s the 6th January 2013. I’m not a big one for resolutions. I think you can set those at any time. But a sunny January day in London is as good as any. And it is gloriously sunny today. So rather than talk about resolutions, I’m going to go public with a few of my goals for 2013. They’re in no particular order.

1. To make Heroes of the Mobile Fringe 2013 a great success.

This is a big one for me. The first festival last February was a bit of an experiment to see if the concept would work. It did. In spades! And on the back of that, I’ve enlisted the help of my long-time friend and Swedish Beers cohort, Jennifer Hiley, to make it even better than last time. We have some sponsors confirmed already, and will be on the case to get some more involved and to really create some great events and create value and good stuff for sponsors, attendees, volunteers and media partners alike. Get in touch if you’d like to get involved.

2. To continue Heroes beyond Barcelona

I’ve set up a separate company to manage Heroes initiatives and events. The plan is to have a mix of media and events happening throughout the year and we’ll be visiting different cities in the UK and beyond. Top of the list are San Francisco, New York, Singapore, London and Leeds. This will be no mean feat. Running events, for me at least, is an emotional experience. It’s not about the time spent, but about the heart and soul put into it and that’s a much higher price to pay. But I feel the time is right to do this and there are some great opportunities to continue the good work. I have friends, colleagues and supporters across the globe and I’d like to spend more time with them. This is a great reason to do just that!

3. To create more content

This is the year I’m going to learn about podcasting and video. I also plan to write more. I spend too long on twitter and don’t commit to screen what I’m thinking about in my head beyond 140 characters nearly enough. So Plan A is to change that. On the podcast front, if someone fancies helping me get started on the technical side, that would be marvellous. I have some ideas of what I want to do but need some help to structure it and to be able to manage it on my own when I’m travelling. Get in touch. If you’re interested, I’ve started a soundcloud for Heroes podcasts.

4. Continue to nurture my creative side

One of the best things about 2012 for me was my return to spending time making things. I’ve always had an interest in sewing and needlework. I used to make doll’s clothes out of the leftovers when Mum had her clothes altered to fit (she’s tiny, there’d always be leftover fabric). I started doing embroidery when I was 9 and completed a sampler. At age 10, I got my first sewing machine and started to make my own clothes. I’ve also dabbled in cross-stitch and needlepoint. Last year, I learned how to make fabric flower brooches, wet-felting, making fabric wreaths, printing with vegetables and then a successful linocut experiment. This year, I plan to do more felting and sewing and we’ll see what other crafts I end up trying. A big thanks to Gillian at Crafty Pint in Tooting for setting me back on this path. Looks like I might be trying mosaics and decoupage in the coming weeks…

5. To maintain my health

Some of you who know me well know that I had a really tough 2012 health-wise. I’ve managed to get myself back on track, but it took a long time. And it’s something I need to take better care of. I’m not twenty-one any more, alas, so my bounce-back rate is longer each time. So this isn’t about fad diets and detoxing for January. This is about maintaining a healthy lifestyle that works for me. I think I’ve got the knack for it now, but it’s something I’ll be keeping more of an eye on more of the time.