Things I'd Like to Have Happen in 2025

I've always had some mixed feelings about New Year's resolutions, and it's not because of the more obvious stuff. Stereotypically, people will set goals and then not follow through. Many people who say "I'm going to lose weight" on January 1 will give up on their dieting and exercise programs by March 1. They might even go "no, I really mean it this year" and try again starting the next year. I think everyone is probably aware of how easy it is to fall into that cyclical nature of never fully achieving your goals, so most people would agree with me that they have reservations about resolutions.

Like I said, though, for me that's not the issue. For me, it's always been the expectation that somehow I should make a resolution. As a kid, often times it would be a requirement for some writing assignment to talk about our goals for the upcoming year. As an adult, there's a good few weeks where people in my life ask me about resolutions. And I don't like it.

On the one hand, yes, a new year is a shiny, new opportunity to start changing things up. I get that. On the other hand, why do I have to pick something about my life to change just because it is a new year? If I realize I want to do something different in July, do I have to wait until January to implement that change? I guess I don't always understand what the point is.

That might seem a bit negative or even obtuse, but that's how it feels in my head. I don't really like setting goals. It's not because I don't want to achieve things, but it's more because the action of "making a resolution" or "setting a goal" never feels motivational to me. It's got something to do with the way I'm wired. Making resolutions/setting goals makes me want to do the thing less because suddenly now it's an obligation. It's like being expected to clean my room as a kid. I loved organizing my books and making sure things were how I liked them, but if I was asked to clean suddenly those things weren't fun anymore. I just felt bad about the situation instead, especially if I didn't manage to get it cleaned by the deadline my mom said. Goals are like that for me.

I think there's also there's a facet to it where I'm more comfortable and aware of the unknown than a lot of other people. You can't control what's going to happen in the coming year. Making a resolution to "be healthier" is fine, but what if you get cancer or in a car accident or contract some rare virus and your health gets worse? Did you fail? By some definitions, you did even though I think most reasonable people would say that's not how it works.

Instead of making resolutions or setting goals, I usually just have stuff in my head that are labeled as "things I'd like to see happen." If they don't occur because I changed my mind or things happened out of my control, that still feels okay compared the more set in stone feeling of obligation that goals carry for me. Again, this is just how my brain works and if goal making is good for you, go for it. I'm going to stick with my "I'd like to see it happen" list, and I'd like to share some of that list for anyone curious where Odd Duck is heading in 2025.

Patterns and posting places

The past few months, I've felt a little burnt out when it comes to crochet. Some of it has to do with trying to finish all the plushies that I agreed to make for the Halo Community calendar from JumperScape. Some of it is also just where I've been headspace wise. I've been getting a lot of new ideas lately, though, and I want to make an effort towards making those things happen and sharing that process with people.

I want to aim for getting at least one new design created each month. There are so many franchises that I want to make patterns for to share with people. One a month isn't even getting rid of half the list of ideas I have, but it does feel manageable at least given some of my other responsibilities. So I'll try. It might take more time to test and release each pattern than I think, but that's okay.

I also want to be more consistent with posting updates on this blog, Patreon, and Instagram. I keep finding myself taking photos of something and then waiting to post about it. Then I end up forgetting to do it. That's not good, and I'd like to try and be more active so that Odd Duck can continue to grow.

New Odd Duck stickers! They'll be included in all full-sized plushie orders and in mini/keychain orders as supplies allow. Or, if you just want a sticker, they're available on their own too!

Try new things

Last year, I got a Cricut Maker for a really good discount. I haven't used it a ton, but recently as apart of the Halo Community calendars project that I've been helping with I learned how to make stickers with my Cricut. So I decided to make Odd Duck Stickers too.

I'd really like to improve my sticker-making and see what else I can create using my machine. I've had a few non-crochet related ideas that might be fun to do and make available to people. For example, I think it'd be cool to make a Master Chief bead pet. So I'd like to see that exploration of new things happen creatively.

I'd also like to try out some new stuff like posting tutorials on YouTube. If you've spent time on my website already, you might have noticed references to a YouTube channel. It's always been apart of the plan to post tutorial videos that relate to my content on this website, it's just been a slower process than expected. I'd like to make sure that that actually happens this year in conjunction with my goal of making monthly (ish) patterns.

Finally, I think it'd be cool to try vending at a craft fair/expo or two just for the experience, but we'll see what happens. There are also some local businesses in our area that it might be fun to try and work with.

My husband's grandma gifted me a trio of cute Highland cow embroidery kits last Christmas and I've been working on them lately to rejuvenate my embroidery skills that have gotten rusty. I used to embroider all the time when I was a teen!

Learn new things

This might not seem super distinct from the last category, but for me the difference is things I know how to do an can improve on vs. things I don't know how to do yet. Some of these are more personal "I'd like to see happen" stuff than Odd Duck business related "I'd like to see happen" stuff. However, some of this will probably impact future "I'd like to see happen" lists for Odd Duck so I'll still go ahead and include them.

I really just want to keep working on expanding my knowledge of fiber arts and my skill level when it comes to a lot of things. Last year, I really wanted to try and focus on learning knitting, Tunisian crochet, and spinning. I did complete a couple of knitting projects, and I at least attempted some spinning. However, Tunisian crochet kind of got left at the wayside.

I'd like to keep this this on the list of things I'd like to see happen, because I'd like to grow more and more in these skills, both on a personal level but also on a business level like I previously stated. Being a life long learner is important, and while there are a lot of things I want to learn, these are the Odd Duck related ones.

So, I guess just wish me luck in this upcoming year. What are some of your "I'd like to see happen" things?