Happy New Year! You may have noticed a whole new look for Noir Friday. I have to say this fresh design was borne of some bad circumstances—site crash/nightmarish previous theme/tech and customer service problems all around—but it all turned out beautifully because while I still need to add a few things here and there, I love the new look and now I’m brimming with ideas. I’m not really a resolution-setter but I do think about how I want to grow in the new year and what I’d like to accomplish in general. So here are my goals for 2018:

1. Be more consistent in creating content for this site and my social medial channels. During the holidays, I was posting about two to three times a week. My goal is to consistently post three times a week. I really love creating content for this site. Developing this site gave me a much needed creative outlet after I stopped working full time when my daughter was born and I have learned so much. Although I was an editor for many years (in magazines, books and the web), there was always an art department/marketing team/lots and lots of other smart people in every place I worked. I had to learn a lot about design, photography, the nitty-gritty workings of the web—everything. A single post took me forever. I have grown a lot in all of these areas in the last couple of years, but I’m still lost when it comes to social medial and need to find my groove. I really have no idea how people stay so consistent on social media and do anything else but I will figure it out!

2. Create new content for this site. I obviously love shopping and finding deals, but as an editor, I have covered a lot of different topics. I was a features editor for many years, had a health beat for a while, covered everything under the sun as a freelance magazine writer and was a travel editor for several years. I want to bring more of all of this to this site and deliver it using my journalism experience in interviews with experts and real reporting. The Noir Friday angle is more than shopping—it’s finding value in everything you do because you work hard and your time is in short supply.

3. Reveal more of myself. It may sound odd but I am a very private person and feel uncomfortable sharing too much. My brain also works overtime and I need blocks of time to disconnect so that I can recharge. This is my biggest challenge when it comes to being consistent on social media but I hope to find more balance.

4. Find more ways to give to others. I was recently introduced to an incredible organization called Samaritan’s Purse. I would love to get more involved with them and similar organizations and make it my main focus to give to others as much as possible. I’d also love to share these opportunities with you along the way.

5. Try to loosen up. I’m a perfectionist who obsesses over every detail. This makes me a good editor but it can also be a roadblock if I’m not careful. I can sometimes grind to the point where I’ll give up on something I’m working on only to look back at it and wonder why I was so critical. Of course, I always want to give you my best but overthinking kills creatively. I promise to try to go with my first instinct.

6. Pray more. I vow to be more consistent in my prayer time. This point really belongs at the top of the list because I find that when I do this, I have a much lighter step and am not so caught up in everyday problems.

7. Have more fun along the way. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the pace of things these days—there’s always something new to learn—and it can feel daunting at times. Instead, I’m going to try and see the positive side of this. As a creative, this means there’s always a new medium to explore. I’d like to learn more about video this year and get better at taking pictures. At the same time, I’m making a fresh resolve to stick to what suits me and not try to conquer the world. It’s easy to compare yourself to others and get discouraged by numbers, but I try to concentrate on my own voice and point of view. It’s not always easy but the new year is a good time to set a new intention.

For the sunglasses above, I have found that many of the super bling Gucci sunglasses eventually go on major sale. I found the pair pictured above on sale at Matches Fashion. Here are a few pairs I like/have my eyes on for the spring/summer:

What are you goals for the new year? What would you like to see more of on this site? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

xo,
Anna