The Seventh and A Half Update!: 10 Major Goals I Have For 2026
This one might be the longest one so far! It does have the most goals so far, but it's the length of each section underneath that really determines it...I wanted to keep them two paragraphs each, but...I couldn't do it. 😅 There was too much to say. 😂 Are there some things being repeated from the other two years? Mm, yeeeeah, but it's either ongoing stuff or things I still want to get to.
There's some new stuff mixed in, I promise, lol.
1. Go to sleep at a better time
This will continue to be a goal until it's no longer a problem. I want to get up at like...6am almost every day and be in bed somewhere around 9:30pm to 10:30pm. There are too many things that I've been stalling on, haven't made time for, or missed out on and that's partially due to being tired. A major thing that lands in all three of these categories is my art business, K-Tee's CreeativeWorks. If I truly want to make something big out of this, I really, really do need to lock in and treat this like a job. Speaking of which...
2. Improve on my K-Tee's CreeativeWorks Brand
It's about time that I completely finalize the designs for my Internet personas. I'm going to put together an eight-point turnaround for both of them and play around with some poses I can utilize for later. This will also give me more material to post to places like my original art gallery and Cara. I should also use this as a chance for me to settle their lore or at least explain why I decided to make them split up like this.
All of my goals for my original art blog are pretty much just me continuing to learn more about markup languages and making preparations for some form of monetization. I want to create a fitting favicon for the site and think of what the next version of the banner could be. The new navigation bar has been missing a couple of menus due to something that went wrong with the code. I'm going to finally figure out how to fix this and maybe even test some other types of navigation bar styles. I have many drafts about tips and reviews stashed away that need to be put together, as well as descriptions for the Second Generation of character that aren't fully thought out. And then there's the situation regarding the First Generation, that needs much more than just descriptions...
I would honestly much rather focus on them instead of the current things I've been promoting. They mean a lot more to me; they were supposed to be the face of my business! If I was only focusing on them, I would be more motivated and productive. But they all still need revision and development...I created the Second Generation to have something to show until I'm ready to share the serious stuff. They would be the characters I would use to test things out for experience. I never initially intended to give them full-fledged backstories and my attempts to go deeper with them, don't feel strong enough. It's like...how do I get others to care about something that I don't care enough about?! And why spend so much time trying to get them in order, when I'm trying to work towards something bigger? If I don't want to make more out of the Second Generation, and can't reveal the First Generation, then what else is there to show?? 😵
I can't pause everything until I'm able to do exactly what I want, that's going to take too long to get situated. Maybe one day I'll come up with comics and animations for the Second Generation, but for now, I'll just stick to descriptions, designs and illustrations. That's far enough without being elaborate. Meanwhile, I can invest into the idea of giving the First Generation of characters, pitch bible sites. Working on Blogger has inspired me to create unique spaces for each series as opposed to simply giving them pages. I've been thinking about doing memberships on Fourthwall and how I could give those in the highest tier, access to these sites way before they go public. Doing this won't only make me more comfortable with sharing but could also provide an opportunity for constructive feedback. I've got some holes in these universes that might be too big for me to fill in on my own, ha.
3. Work on the rest of my Blogger websites
This year, I plan on continuing to build my DuckTales fanblog. I think it's time that I make the contents for the "About the Webmaster" page...(This main blog could also use a similar update) As well as additional information for the Disclaimers page, seeing what else I wanted on the Links page, adding the rest of the screenshots to the Delpad Gallery, sift through my drafts, the to-do list I had made for myself, and one of the most biggest tasks of all...finally finishing a batch of text posts I planned on posting last year ago. x_x I'm aiming on making it the center of the blog's second anniversary now.
With the way my interests have been moving away from DuckTales, I might as well get started on that second Timeline Map where I finalize the possible options from my Delpad theorizing, into my own personal headcanons. That would require first re-reading my essays to site where I got these options from and which ones I think are more likely...or like the best. That's gonna be time consuming...but I don't think I'm going to make all the Storytime posts I had in mind, drawing and elaborating on how different parts of the timeline could go, so...this is the least I could do with my ideas.
Last year, I got started on the very beginnings of developing two other fanblogs that I just couldn't stop thinking about making. I have a LOT of notes to work off of, but nothing quite solid on look of each site. If I don't launch them this year, I want to at least come up with that aspect. I very recently figured out how to customize the HTML of a Blogger layout to make a site for giving status updates on my fanblogs. (Or maybe it could be for all of the blogs I've created, idk yet) If any of my blogs go on an unintended hiatus, this'll let my viewers know what I'm currently working on. (You can find the embed on this blog and the DT one in the hamburger menu in top left corner.)
Something else I intend to add to multiple blogs is some kind of protections from bots. I want to ensure that the pageviews I'm getting are from real people and I want to prevent 🅰👁 scrapping as much as I can. So far, I've customized the robot.txt for my DT Blog. Now, I want to add another method or two. I may go as far as changing up the way I watermark my images online...I've been uploading smaller version of my art for years and ever since gen 🅰👁 began to surge in popularity, I've been using Artshield as well. Nightshade and Glaze have been popular go-tos for artists, but I've heard that their protection process is very slow...but I think it still might be worth a try. I'll continue to be on the lookout for other similar protection tools in case these don't work out anymore. (I just found out about this one.)
4. Start sound recording again
Some years ago, I had gotten a portable vocal booth in an attempt to improve the sound quality of my Blue Yeti microphone. When I tried to hook both the booth and mic to the stand I was using, it seemed like I needed another piece in order to put it all together. Still determined to utilize it anyway, I tried my best to hold the booth steady during my small amount of recording sessions. This wasn't ideal at all. I thought it would just be easier with a whole 'nother stand, so, from December to the beginning of this year, I was set on looking for one. But something made me want to try it again, one more time, right before I came close to making a purchase. I asked my brother to help me out, and while he too, ran into an issue with the additional pieces, he quickly figured out how to attach everything! I was flabbergasted! I wasn't missing anything after all! Glad I had him in mind!
On the very first day of 2026, I finally took the time to deal with the musical keyboards in the basement. For the longest time, I had been wanting to use them for future projects. But they were stacked on top of each other, under the stairs, for years, collecting dust and surely creating a great place for bugs to hide...and there was a whole lot of stuff block the way to where they were. Wasn't very motivating. But now, I had a pair of goggles, gloves, face masks and a container of wipes. This was the perfect time to get things done!
In the process of grabbing the first keyboard, I realized there was a stand to go with it! I had completely forgotten that the relative who gave it to us, included it! I was close to buying this type of stand too! Now I only needed a tier attachment! I was saving money again! The power adapter that came with the second keyboard was long lost, maybe even gone, and wasn't in the greatest condition the last time I remembered it, so, I knew I'd definitely had to buy a new one. (It was either that or a bunch of batteries that wouldn't last nearly as long.) And in researching the type I would need for the keyboards, I realized that I had at least two of them already! I wouldn't have to wait for a new adapter to test them out! Another convenience! Once both keyboards were wiped off, I plugged an adapter in, one after the other. And they both worked! As if time had never passed.
To this day, I'm still delighted by how everything went. And I can't WAIT to incorporate these devices into my next goal...
5. MAKE VIDEOS!
Last year, I made three shorts...and uploaded one video that never processed. This year, I want to take it MUCH further. I want to condense the footage from previous June Birthday Projects into process videos. I want to show people how I came up with my characters and the designs I'm selling. I want to go through all of my blog entries to see which ones are YouTube-worthy and adjust them for the platform. I especially need to put together those reviews I recorded and decide on a release schedule to space most of my material out.
This seriously needs to be the year that I start doing animation again. At least one animated thing. A gif, a short scene, I'll even settle on an animatic! I've been wanting to make a new trailer for my Fangirl K-Tee channel and a similar one to KTCW. That could easily become something close! The last couple of years has proven that we're currently in an indie animation boom and I would LOVE to join it with a more serious project someday. There's also been an influx of "first videos" showing up in my suggestions from artists who are just starting their own YouTube channels. While neither of the channels I'm working on are new, I'm sorta starting over again with one of them and the other doesn't have a long form video on it. If it seems like the algorithm is pushing this type of content, then maybe I can title my trailers around this while still being honest. (Hopefully this will help because YT recently changed their search filters and now, we can't see anything in chronological order...😒)
Since my KTCW channel got falsely labeled as "under 18", thanks to YT's faulty 🅰️👁️, I've been thinking about how this will impact my ability to make money in the future and how I can work around it....I already knew I wouldn't make money straight out the gate, so, while I was going to work my way up to being eligible, I was going to encourage my subscribers to support me through the donation page on my Fourthwall shop and buying merch. Now I also plan to explain in the trailer, and towards the end of other vids, about my situation. My Fangirl channel hasn't been affected by this at all, but I don't want to make a switch between the two. Instead, I'm going to use this channel to help prop up the other. I'll grab highlights from my KTCW content to make into shorter videos and compile anything that needed to be split up into parts; giving them an idea of what's going on with that channel and providing a link to it. (If the 🅰️👁️ thinks a channel belongs to an under-aged person, the user can't upload custom thumbnails or videos longer that 15 minutes. I don't understand that...)
I don't know if this effected my ability to get AdSense on my original art blog, but if I'm still able to, without any hassle, I was thinking about posting them there first before YouTube and directing people over there with a short. (I would definitely need some kinda open-source player to do that.) Then whenever I do memberships, I can change the order to showing them first, the site second and YouTube last.
platforms and software
Yeah, I still don't see the unnecessary annoyances of mainstream social media getting better, so...I hope 2026 will add onto, or at least tease at, better options. I expressed interest in domo.town and SketchTube, but aside from wanting to see them develop more, I haven't decided whether to make these fan accounts or original art ones...I'm leaning more towards fan to see what the sites are like. I don't like mixing my stuff, but I'd rather have a fan account with a designated area for OG art than the other way around. I don't like the idea of making more dual accounts on multiple platforms, but that's another thing I could do.
This year, I want to take the time to look at and into more free, open-sourced, low cost or one-time-purchase programs that could help me with my artmaking. I have Blender, and while I will try to understand it, it might be a bit too much for me right now. I may have to look for something more beginner friendly. 😅 And while Clip Studio Paint EX allows you to do traditional animation, I want to try something that can handle 2D rigs as well. MoHo Animation seems like a good balance between the two. I also would love to have something else to go along with Clipchamp when it comes to making videos, because OpenShot isn't quite what I had anticipated...something similar to FL Studio to go with Audacity would be good to have too. I plan on getting a MIDI cord for the keyboards and need something to directly pick up the sound from them.
7. Less screen time
Scrolling endlessly, as if I'm going to reach the bottom of a long page, is one of my biggest weaknesses. I can't watch every video ever. I can't read every post ever made. I have to focus more on making my own content and other important tasks. I should further enforce the habit of how many more posts / videos I'm going to look at before I reach a cutoff point. If I'm going to have a video queue, I need to keep trying to organize it by length and separate the more visual selections from the more audio one. This way, I can listen to what I wanted to watch instead, stay focused on my work and look at the rest of the list when I'm done. I could go even further by only having lengthy audio videos in my queue, letting a radio station / podcast play in the background or make some picks from my CDs collection. Maybe even signing out of apps as opposed to just closing them. I do have a "Do Not Disturb" feature on my phone, but I've mainly been using Airplane Mode when it comes to prying myself away. Pretty close.
I should designate a certain amount of hours or days to be more or less technology heavy on. As much as I don't want to, I might have to create an actual schedule to stick to...
I want to fill that endless scroll time with continuing to connect with the world around me and seeing how many goals I can reach through nontechnical means. For starters, I want to make the bread pudding I've been talking about, this week. When the weather gets better, I want to extend my walks and buy new tire caps so I can pick up bike riding again. After I finish the current book I'm reading, I want to get to other books I own, that I've never read, haven't read in forever, revisit my comic collection, and also take more visits to the library. I could also use this time to clean / organize the things I want to keep and sell / donate more belongings I don't want. These go back into screens, but I've been having the urge to delete unneeded files from my phone and laptop to free up space. Additionally, I HAVE to get the scrolling wheel on my mouse fixed. I can't take it anymore. 😐 I'm hoping the place I took my laptop to the other year, can help me with this so I won't have to buy a new one.
8. Improve my artwork
Being a traditional artist first, this is certainly something I can do without a screen.
I've currently fallen into a strange state with my art...As I'm typing this, I haven't drawn anything new since November, and it feels so...weird. I did get tied up in a few things; the virus scare, getting sick, promoting commissions, and all the things that come with the holidays, but before all of that set in, I became stuck on a drawing I've been trying to digitalize. I'm still learning how to draw the characters featured in it, and...it's not giving me the results I want to see yet. This caused me to become discouraged and doubt my abilities. Now that so much time has passed and there's less to pull me away, I want to return to this piece to finally get it done.
I don't have to jump straight into working on that though, I can work my way out of this strange state with some other drawings to encourage me again. This year, I want to push the quality of my art. I don't want things to just be finished to meet a deadline or because I'm getting tired of it being unfinished. I want the process to feel satisfying, like my skills have changed for the better.
I want to do more art studies! I said I wanted to do a SpongeBob one for years, ever since I bought a how to draw book on the show. I especially need to go back to working on solid designs for the First Generation of my original characters. And while I do normally create pencil sketches to be completed in Clip Studio Paint, I want to finish more art traditionally! I've been doing that for a few years or so with my June B-Day Project, but I don't want to wait until that time gets closer, I want it to be something I do outside of that timeframe too! Because of this, and other problems that have come up in the past, I'm not sure if I want to do the project this year...or if I do, I'll probably cut it down to three instead of six. Maybe the outside works I do could make up for it...?
I've had an unopened pack of Posca markers and a glow in dark one from a different brand that I've kept for two years (I hope they're not dried out.), as well as a set of Caran dAche Neocolor Pastels within the past few years. I wanted to review these for my original art blog, but I hadn't settled on what type of artwork I wanted to test them on. I also stalled on the Poscas specifically because they were said to have a strong chemical smell...I don't want that lingering around in my room, I'm not sure if opening a window will completely solve that...it needs a well-ventilated area, so, I figured I'd have to work with it in the garage in the warmer months or simply going outside. But it's like...if I go out in the Spring, my allergies might act up...if I do it in the Summer, getting pestered by bugs is practically a guarantee...I guess I could have something to prop the garage door open a little bit? The flying, stinging variety of bugs are the ones I'm most concerned about, so...if I have the door opened like that, they're less likely to come in that way, and it minimizes allergens? I could wear a mask...I dunno, lol. I'm gonna have to figure out the best way to do this...As for being stuck on what to draw for reviews, I think I'm just going to recycle the lineart I originally created for merch.
I not only want to draw more, but I want to craft my own items! I previously mentioned having a button maker now. I bought some keychain backings to go with it and will be testing out everything very soon. Since Fourthwall allows us to sell homemade items, I want to see if this is something I can add to my shop in the future. There's an old bead kit that's been stored away in the basement that I could incorporate into this...they've started to spill in the bag and could be dusty...I'm going to give them a deep cleaning, but I'll probably buy a new case if I don't feel comfortable selling them with anything.
9. Digitalize VHS tapes
After getting the rare VHS tape mentioned in my previous post, I wanted to continue the plans I had for digitalizing it. Due to their age and the way that they work, tapes have a bit of a fragility to them, and converting this one to an MP4 would make later viewings easier. But I still needed a VCR to do that. I...can't remember exactly what happened to my childhood VCR. 🤔 It was either donated or had to be throw away after it destroyed a tape. I had bought another one when I was building a Bear in the Big Blue House collection back in high school. I'm not sure what happened to that one either...it seemingly disappeared one day...I have a theory on that, but anyway, yeah, I thought about seeing if I could borrow one from someone I knew personally or physically go to a public place that I could bring the tape to, to at least watch it if couldn't digitalize it at the same time. I eventually decided it was best to get another one for myself again 'n' to check the thrift stores in my area.
I had the chance of going to the first location during an outing. I had already called them about it three days ago, and after someone went to go check, the employee on the other end said they didn't have any. I convinced myself that maybe there was a change, but nah, just a lot of printers and DVD players. The next day, I went to the second thrift store. I called them when I called the other location and the employee there didn't know, I had to come in person. (Guess they were short staffed...) I prayed that I'd find prefect VCR in there and came so close with DVD players and boomboxes...but no dice.
After I left, I called an antique place nearby and the lady on other end mentioned that VHS tapes are having a resurgence right now. Huh! I knew people were starting to buy more physical media, but I didn't expect much from video tapes. She said they didn't have them at the moment, so, I asked if she knew of any places that could possibly have them. She claimed that the thrift stores I was going to, wasn't taking VCRs anymore! That was news to me! It's no wonder why I wasn't finding them!
I was given the opportunity to go to the third location, and while I did feel discouraged after that call...I figured it was good to check anyway. When I got there, I was immediately reminded that they got rid of their VHS wall. Was this a sign that lady was right? I was nervous upon entering, expecting to be let down as I walked over to the electronic section. It was looking a lot like the same situation as before...
Until...at the very end of the other side of the aisle...there was a Panasonic VCR!!! 👀
It didn't look all that old and dirty either! It was looking a LOT like I did find the perfect VCR! It was just at another location! 😆 Now...what was THAT doing here if they don't take 'em anymore?! 😏🤭
Sure...she could have gotten the wrong information, or it was something that very recently went into effect, or the store changed their minds...but for it to be placed like that? Like it was waiting for me?! In good external condition? (And, *spoiler*spoiler* it had zero issues playing?) I even got a discount on it with another tape I was going to sacrifice to make sure it didn't get eaten! Everything worked out so well! I'm so glad I went there anyway! 😄
The next step was getting the AC adapter for the VCR. I was certain that I bought something like that for the Wii and was determined to find it. It had to have been in that box I had found the year before...but where was it now? It wasn't in the closet anymore. That left either the garage or basement. I decided to check the garage first, which was a great choice 'cause I didn't have to look long at all. It was in a stack of things I had moved out of the way when looking for my comics collection a few months or so ago. How convenient! And I was right, sorta: I did by an adapter, but the cords weren't compatible with the VCR, I'd still have to buy that part...
I have everything that's needed now, but I learned that I can't convert anything with my laptop, I don't have the port for it. But my brother offered to let me see one of his computers when he isn't using them. So, yeah, I want to not only start digitalizing tapes from my collection this year, but any other home videos we might have stored away.
And lastly, since there's a small connection to this...
10. Pick gaming back up
I haven't had this type of screen usage in quite some time...no, I don't think I gamed at all last year and yes, I'm still trying to. I have no idea if or when I'm getting a Switch 2, but I know where both my Wii and Wii U are. It'll be a little hard to make time for this goal since I'm working on so many other things, but I want to have at least three game sessions this year so I can say I did it.
Well, the first month is almost over. 😬 I'm off to make these things a reality! 🏃🏾♀️
Let's see how 2026 goes!
~*K-Tee ✍🏾👩🏾🐹
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