Last week, I mentioned that I was flying to Salt Lake City to attend the Altitude Design Summit. I left for the Altitude Design Summit and Salt Lake City really not knowing what to expect; and admittedly, I was a bit intimidated attending a conference filled with people who spent their time studying good design (really, what does one wear to a conference like this?). 

A few months ago, I watched with interest as friends began tweeting about the Altitude Design Summit, the inaugural conference geared toward design bloggers, to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 21 - 23. As someone who follows design bloggers -- both digital design and interior design -- with a considerable amount of fanaticism, I really, really wanted to go. But as someone who isn't a design blogger at all -- I just like to take lots of pictures -- I thought perhaps this conference wouldn't be for me. Boy, was I wrong.

News of the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday is barely 24 hours old, and already I have to turn away from reports -- they're too difficult to read, and hear, and watch.  As a native of another Caribbean island, Trinidad, this news feels very close to home. In the same way that someone from Texas might deeply feel the misfortune befalling citizens of the neighbouring state of Louisiana (Katrina, anyone?), those of us from the Caribbean are deeply moved by any catastrophe that a neighbouring island suffers.  I feel helpless. As an artist, I wonder how I can help.

A few months ago, I wrote about my methods for art journaling here on BlogHer.  I started journaling summer of 2009, and have remained an avid journaler; during this time, I've been really pleased at how productive I've become, both in my day-to-day life and in therefore making strides toward achieving my long term goals.   And so this week, I thought I'd share some of my tips, particularly for those of you who might not yet journal (or are just starting out), that may help you stay focused on your New Year's resolutions for 2010.

Well, folks, it's the last day of the year, that time when you're supposed to sit down and make all your resolutions for the coming 365 days.  I don't know about you, but I find myself so conflicted this time of year.  On one hand, I truly hate making New Year's Resolutions -- they  just seem like recipes for disappointment.  I mean, really, how many times am I going to make the work-out-every-day-lose-25-pounds-in-two-months resolution before I realize that I just don't like exercise enough to make that happen?On the other hand, I do love a good goal, and find that setting them makes me far more productive than otherwise.  So, how do you set goals for the new year without feeling like a failure if they're not met, to the letter?