I have just returned from a family trip, and while I was avoiding the mountain of laundry that needs to be washed getting back into my routines, I spent some time browsing through the Academy.

I noticed that in each members’ profile, there is a section titled “weaving goals”. This piqued my curiosity so I started browsing through members’ goals.

These ones, and variations of these, are the most common:

• Weave more
• Use up my stash
• Be a better weaver
• Learn something new
• Enjoy the process

If you read about setting goals, and achieving them, an often cited piece of advice is “Set specific goals”. So here are a few that are shared by a fair number of our members:

• Weave fabric for *insert item of clothing*
• Learn to minimize errors
• Learn to manipulate treadling/tie ups to make interesting cloth
• Use new fibres
• Use multiple shafts on my RH loom
• Get comfortable with weaving terminology
• Improve my selvedges
• Learn to understand sett
• Learn to warp efficiently and correctly
• Earn a Master Weaver certification.

I really enjoyed reading the goals of others, but these two were hands down my favourites:

• Keep learning until I cannot weave any more
• Weave until I die

Now I personally avoid making New Year’s Resolutions, because my ADHD brain will absolutely torpedo anything that I set as firm goals, and I will give up within days.

My goals from last year were to complete 2 units in my OHS Master weaver course per year. I have done NONE in 2023.  Life has given me some big changes and challenges in the last year, so I am not going to fuss much about not meeting my goals.

This year, instead of setting goals, I am setting intentions. 

This year, I INTEND to weave more. More things that challenge me. More things that I WANT to weave. More things that will teach me new things about the art that I love. And most of all, I intend to weave more often.

I feel like these intentions are achievable for me. If I said “I want to weave 5 hours a week”, the weeks when my family schedule interferes would feel like failure. I don’t like failing, and when I feel like I am going to fail, I sometimes preemptively just give up (I tell myself I am not failing, I am choosing not to continue.) So I think setting intentions rather than specific goals will work better for me.

What helps you move forward with your weaving? 

Do you prefer to have resolutions, goals, or intentions? What are they, and how will you achieve them?