Happy 2018, everyone! I've always been inspired by artists' new year posts, with their tidy summaries of the previous 12 months plus eye-popping teases of future projects.

I won't bore you by reliving 2017, but I will share five goals for the upcoming year. (Why "five"? 'Cause clickbait.)

1. Work out loud. I like to draw and I like to write, so it should be easy to write about drawing, right? Sort of like doing a demo at a workshop? I actually don't do it as naturally as you might think; it doesn't occur to me to publicize what I'm doing while I do it, so this is something I'd like to work on over this year. I'd like to share more about how I choose subjects, materials I use, etc.

2. Stick to a routine. I'm not bad at squeezing random solo sketching time into my life (I mean, that's what my Craftsy class is all about). But I'm lucky to have a ton of opportunities for sketching and painting in my area, so I'd like to take advantage of them more regularly. I need to commit - whether it's to a monthly Monday-night life-drawing session or a weekend paintout/sketching meetup.

3. Be prolific. I've wanted for a while to create a themed body of work (such as for a gallery show). This I hope is the year I do it!

4. Go broad. I have a lot of art supplies in my studio. Why don't I use them? Inertia. This year I want to go beyond my minimalist, familiar daily carry of pen/sketchbook/watercolors. Let's find out what all that other stuff can do!

5. Go big. I tend to work small -- in sketchbooks or on compact plein air panels. In 2018, I'm challenging myself to do larger work in the studio. To get inspired, I've signed up for Michael Azgour's Abstract Figurative Painting workshop at Pacific Art League.

What are your goals for the new year?