2018 WEEK 19: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did the week of May 6 – 12 to make my life awesome.

Free-Photos / Pixabay

  1. Made 5 blog posts.
  2. Published 1 YouTube video (Episode 046 of The Ashlee Craft Show)
  3. Recorded a new song for my upcoming album!
  4. Posted 4 Instagram photos.
  5. Looked into getting better bin cages for my three crested geckos! Researched this idea & learned how to make them.
  6. Edited more of my upcoming Epic Florida Road Trip book!
  7. Improved more of my Shopify store as part of my remodeling of it. Finished adding all current products to the new, more specific categories!
  8. Drew 8 illustrations for my upcoming book.
  9. Listened to The Beach Boys album “Endless Summer” on vinyl for the first time.

2018 WEEK 18: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did the week of April 29 – May 5 to make my life awesome.

cocoparisienne / Pixabay

  1. Decided to live my life by this idea: “If I were living an exceptional life, would I do this?”
  2. Finished writing & PUBLISHED a new book – 50 Adorable Moose Facts!
  3. Cleaned a lot in my house to get ready for moving & to become more of a minimalist.
  4. Colored 3 pages worth of the illustrations for my upcoming Apple iMessage sticker app! Edited the images & began working on app.
  5. Published 2 YouTube videos (Episode 045 of The Ashlee Craft Show & a video of my dog eating a taco) using my new microphone, so the sound quality is much better!
  6. Watched Jim Rohn’s The Art of Exceptional Living
  7. Looked up some prices for travel plans I have for this year.
  8. Made a big list of goals for this year, a really nice updated one!
  9. Researched best disinfectants for reptile cages other than bleach.
  10. Did research on some more pet reptiles I’m interested in getting.
  11. Made 2 Instagram posts.
  12. Made 1 illustration for my upcoming book.
  13. Did a lot of editing on my Epic Florida Road Trip Book.
  14. Saw Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, Blackfoot, Jimmie Vaughn, & Lynyrd Skynyrd in concert at the MidFlorida Credit Unit Ampitheatre.
  15. Worked on updating my Shopify store with new product categories!

2018 WEEK 15 :: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did the week of April 8 – 14 to make my life awesome.

manfredrichter / Pixabay

  1. Published 2 YouTube videos (an episode of The Ashlee Craft Show & the first video in my Produce Exploration series, about Rome Apples). Made video intro for Produce Exploration show.
  2. Learned & did tons of research on dropshipping. Brainstormed a ton of ideas about things I want to try with this & new ideas for products. Read the Shopify dropshipping guide.
  3. Made list of companies I can do illustrations for.
  4. Made 1 new design
  5. Ordered the free Shopify card chip reader that plugs into your phone so soon I can sell things in person & not just online.
  6. Wrote & published 1 blog post.
  7. Connected with 1 new person!
  8. Made 4 Instagram posts.
  9. Added 24 new products to SHOP Ashlee Craft & released 1 new design on Society6.
  10. Sent out one marketing newsletter to my email list.
  11. Planned a new book I’m working on.
  12. Bought another awesome enamel pin from PinPartyPost for my enamel pin collection.
  13. Made 1 art collage.
  14. Sent an illustration to one person I want to connect with to add value to them & sent them a friend request.
  15. Bought some stuff I needed in order to make some new products I’ll be releasing soon!
  16. Saw Jimmy Buffet + The Eagles concert at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL.
  17. Cleaned a lot in my house to get closer to my minimalism goals, including 85+ books to donate.

2018 WEEK 14: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did the week of April 1 – 7 to make 2018 awesome.

  1. Published 3 blog posts.
  2. Released 2 YouTube videos (Episode 041 of The Ashlee Craft Show & released my cover of Crowded House’s song ‘Archer’s Arrows’).
  3. Began editing the book I wrote last year about my Epic Florida Road Trip!
  4. Spent a lot more time sorting stuff in my house & garage to work on becoming more of a minimalist.
  5. Made 6 posts on Instagram.
  6. Reached out to someone successful in acting to ask for advice about agents, jobs, etc.
  7. Reached out to a company about them carrying the shorts I designed.
  8. Uploaded my new song Run Away to Soundcloud!
  9. Submitted my song Run Away to one website with the possibility of it being featured on their website.
  10. Drew 10 illustrations (nine of which are for a book I’m doing!) & 1 design.
  11. Wrote 1 poem.
  12. Put products with my Blobfish design on them on on Society6 Shop!
  13. Wrote 1 short story!
  14. Signed up for the Yes Supply Facebook group for female entrepreneurs.
  15. Asked five successful entrepreneurs that I respect immensely what their #1 tip was for how to get from obscurity to success & two replied!
  16. Created & set up my page on Patreon!

2018 WEEK 13: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did the week of March 25 – 31 to make 2018 AWESOME.

Week 13 was very productive! I spent a ton of time cleaning & going through stuff in my garage & house, & I finally made the demo version of the shorts (that I put off for one year) & released the song I’ve been working on for two years!

  1. Released “Run Away”, the song I’ve been working on for two years on iTunes, Amazon, & other digital distributors!
  2. FINALLY made the demo version of my first-ever piece of clothing I designed, so I can begin on the next steps of actually getting it produced! I put this off for more than a year, so it feels great to have it done!
  3. Got rid of a ton more stuff I didn’t need. Sorted through 6 boxes of my stuff & only kept three boxes.
  4. Researched best websites to find acting jobs on & signed up with Actors Access.
  5. Edited more of the images to be used in my Udemy course!
  6. Drew 1 illustration & 4 designs!
  7. Made 3 Instagram posts.
  8. Wrote 1 poem.
  9. Did research on how to become a session musician.
  10. Published 4 blog posts!
  11. Did not do well on my eating healthy goals, but I did excellent on the exercise goals.
  12. Looked into some clothing items I’d like to get in order to help me look more like myself/my vision for myself.
  13. Published 3 YouTube videos.
  14. Signed up to be a brand ambassador for a sunglasses company that I like. Was approved!
  15. Looked into requirements for putting a course on Udemy just to make sure I do everything right while creating my first course!

2018 WEEK 12: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

What I did March 18 – 25 to make 2018 amazing.

  1. Sorted a lot more of my garage & got rid of a lot more things I no longer needed, as part of my goal of becoming a minimalist this year. Found a ton of stuff to donate!
  2. Recorded a new song, called “I Will Find You”, & mixed it! Soon I’ll be ready to release it! Mixed two other songs I’ve previously recorded, including my cover of Crowded House’s Archers Arrows.
  3. Posted first Fiverr gig EVER! It’s for doing illustrations in my unique style. Set up Fiver profile & added 3 additional gigs (illustrated banner logo, pet portraits, & proofreading). Made a lot of illustrations to be samples for these gigs to show people what they’re getting & to promote the gigs.
  4. Published 1 YouTube videos (Episode 039 of The Ashlee Craft Show)
  5. Made 4 Instagram posts.
  6. Published 3 new products to my online store!
  7. Looked up how to pick a good monologue for acting auditions.
  8. Signed up for Backstage.com. Took new headshots & updated acting resume.
  9. Started editing more of the slideshow images for my Udemy course!
  10. Took another photo for my film photography book.
  11. Considered & brainstormed ways to get acting jobs after I realized how much I wanted to do this.
  12. Applied for 5 acting jobs! Got scheduled for one audition, which I did.
  13. Reconsidered & got further clarity about what kind of LIFESTYLE I want to have, as a whole, instead of just focusing on things that will provide one thing at the expense of others (i.e. making more money at the expense of freedom).
  14. Donated one illustration to a charity with the hopes they’ll want to use it. If they agree, I will link to their website on my website & help promote their charity, & I’ll add the illustration to my portfolio.
  15. Looked up more money making ideas online. Looked into proofreading, part-time, virtual assistant, & entertainment jobs.
  16. Worked on signing up to be a Groupon Merchant.
  17. Colored in five of my illustrations.
  18. Saw Foreigner in concert with the Rock Symphony Orchestra!
  19. Saw Al Stewart, Three Dog Night, Lords of 52nd Street, & Firefall in concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall!
  20. Began reading The Courage to Be Rich by Suze Orman & Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. Bought a copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers from the library so now I can finally read it!
  21. Made more strides in owning a home.
  22. Gave my mom a life coaching session to help her level up her life this year too.
  23. Signed up for Zazzle & added 9 products made from 1 design. Signed up for Society6 & added a bunch of products made from 2 designs.
  24. Wrote 1 blog post.
  25. Improved environment by cleaning up clutter in my house & putting items back in their places.
  26. Learned about investing in ETFs & low-cost index funds.

2018 Week 7: Accountability Update

White windows

Week 7 was a good week! I feel like in some ways, I could have achieved more, but I set up a lot of things I’ll be able to finish achieving in Week 8.
 
  1. Published 1 YouTube video (Episode 034 of The Ashlee Craft Show).
  2. Downloaded video clips for my mission statement video that I am working on.
  3. Wrote 10 poems.
  4. Drew 8 farm animal coloring pages for the coloring book that I am working on. Almost done with this book!
  5. Started seriously practicing & studying guitar again. I slacked off on it for a while but I missed it & I want to become really, really good at playing guitar.
  6. Made 5 Instagram posts, several of which promoted specific products of mine.
  7. Published 1 blog post.
  8. Spent a few hours sorting my Google Drive to help me organize & find my files better.
  9. Got a new haircut that makes me look like the person I want to become.
  10. Filmed 50% of a video about my new haircut.
  11. Worked on editing & creating the images for 1 of the blog interviews I am working on.
  12. Made 2 new pages on my website, including one which includes a sortable list of the interviews I have conducted.
  13. Got clearer about who I want to become. Researched a few things in this area.
  14. Networked with 1 new person.
  15. Decided to get pet crested geckos after doing a lot of research.
  16. Saw The Beach Boys in concert!
  17. Began reading “Be Obsessed or Be Average” by Grant Cardone & “Willpower Won’t Work” by Benjamin Hardy. Finished reading “I Will Follow You: A Poetry Novel” by C. J. Robinson.
  18. Slacked off on eating vegetables & on exercise. I am disappointed in this, because I want to be exceptionally healthy. I know I won’t achieve that if I don’t make healthy eating & exercise a consistent habit. I created some plans on how I can change my environment to eliminate my excuses.
  19. I felt like I lost some momentum at the beginning of the week, but I regained the momentum towards the end of the week & had a great weekend.

2018 Week 5: Accountability Update

The weather this week made me more tired for a few days, but I still got a lot done & I made sure I took time to rest & take care of myself.

  1. Published 1 blog post.
  2. Drew 12 coloring pages for my Cute Farm Animals coloring book.
  3. Began gathering facts for upcoming “50 Adorable Moose Facts” book.
  4. Made 41 slideshows for the Udemy course I’m making based on my “101 Ways to Love Yourself” book. Done making all 102 slideshows for the course! Next step is editing them.
  5. Wrote 4,085 words in the novel I just began on this week.
  6. Finished coloring two of my new designs (“Llama Pug” & “Owl Riding a Magical Unicorn”).
  7. Put 2 new designs of t-shirts, poster, etc in my online store.
  8. Read business articles & brainstormed.
  9. Researched & picked a programming language to learn. I chose the language Python because from what I can see it’s there’s a growing need for it, & it’s the language with the second most job postings on Indeed.
  10. Submitted EIN business name change documents to the IRS to update my EIN with my new company name!
  11. Reset password to my Shutterstock account that I set up years ago so I can submit stock photos.
  12. Researched how to be a voiceover artist, writing tips, cheap college options, how to play the saxophone, selling used clothes, & how to become a life coach.
  13. Finished the Udemy Course “How to Make an iPhone Sticker Pack” (1st Udemy course I’ve ever finished!).
  14. Went to an event at a local technical college about the various degrees & programs they offer there.
  15. Downloaded 5 new fonts from Google Fonts.
  16. Released 1 YouTube video.
  17. Downloaded ebooks on Kindle about learning the programming language Python.
  18. Sent LinkedIn connection request to one new person.
  19. Began working on my “mission statement” YouTube video.
  20. Installed & began using the DaVinci Resolve video editing software!
  21. Eating vegetables is now pretty much a habit, & I crave them a lot more. I didn’t exercise as much as I wanted to. Some days I ate more sugar than I’d like to. But overall, I feel like I’m definitely making progress on my health goals.

How are you doing this week & what are you working on?

My 2018 Goal List

My 2018 Goal List :: A photo by Gareth Harper. unsplash.com/photos/yACpBcInUos
2017 was definitely an outstanding year. I went on my Epic Florida Road Trip. I rode on a plane for the first time (to go to Houston to see Queen in concert). I saw a lot of amazing bands in concert. l produced a lot of creative work & added to my business. I released my first app, & I published 11 books.
But 2018 is going to be THAT MUCH MORE AMAZING.
Because 2017 gave me the tools & the confidence I need to level up even more this year. For me, the theme of 2018 is: “DO DIFFICULT THINGS WELL”. I really want to challenge myself & grow as a person, so I specifically designed these goals to do just that.
Here’s what I have planned for 2018:
  • Become a self-made millionaire. This is my top goal because it will help a lot of my other goals happen. I’m going out there to get the good things that I deserve. I do this because I love myself, & I also love a good challenge.
  • Start eating healthy consistently & exercising daily. Over the past year, I have IMPROVED, but I’m still way behind where I’d like to be as far as healthy habits. I know I could do better. I end up only eating 1-2 servings of vegetables a day. This is due to my “addiction” to processed sugar & non-vegetable foods. I also walk a bit each day, but I can be quite sedentary at times & don’t exercise the recommended 30 minutes a day. Sometimes, I also eat too much sugar. But I want to eat healthier, I know it will help me feel my best & have the most energy, so I’m going to do this.
  • Live with passion every day. Like Tony Robbins talks about. I’m going to make 2018 my happiest year yet. Making sure I’m living with passion & taking time for self-care are habits that will help me do this.
  • Publish more books. This year’s book list includes: my Epic Florida Road Trip book. A photography album of artistic photos of the Tampa Bay area. A seven-zine series of photos I took on my road trip. The second zine in my Flowers series of photography zines. A zine of botanical garden photos. Several poetry books. My essay book, Not a Dime a Dozen. A Tarot card dictionary. Several more books for my Wonderful Wildlife & 50 Adorable Facts animal series. The second book in the Summer Hayes series. More issues of Assemblage.
  • Release my third album of music. I released my second album, “confusion is over”, in 2015. I’ve done some cover songs, but I have not released any more albums or singles since then.
  • Get a pet tortoise & pet crested geckos. I’m currently prepping for a red foot tortoise hatchling right now & I’m doing a ton of research. Tortoises are fascinating & so sweet. I’m really looking forward to adding one to my critter family. Sometime later in the year, I plan on getting some baby crested geckos too.
  • Create & release my first Udemy course. I’m working on a course RIGHT NOW that’s based on my 101 Ways to Love Yourself course. I still have a pretty long way to go on it, but it’s going to be an amazing, comprehensive course. It will have more than 100 videos, many worksheets, podcast versions of each episode, & much more.
  • Go to A LOT more amazing concerts & other awesome places/events. I have some of these activities planned already. I’m making sure I always have something to look forward to doing. I learned in the past year that adding to my “experience library” is something that adds immense value to my life.
  • Release at least two more apps for iOS devices. Last year, I released my “Adorable Fall Stickers” app for iOS devices, & I have a few more apps in the works.
  • Travel to a state I’ve never been to, travel somewhere else in Florida, & travel to another country. This was on the list last year. I did go somewhere else in Florida & to another state, both of which were goals on the previous list. I’m refreshing this goal because I want to do the same thing this year but with different places.
  • Become a certified ethical hacker. Ethical hacking has always fascinated me. If nothing more it will help me educate myself about web security for my own benefit. I bought the Udemy course, & now I just have to DO THE COURSE.
  • Go on another road trip. An RV would be amazing to help me achieve my road trip goals. I would love the feeling of being able to have a mini-home I can take anywhere.
  • Buy an RV. An RV would be amazing to help me achieve my road trip goals, & I would love the feeling of being able to have a mini-home I can take anywhere.
  • Become a life coach. I love helping & coaching other people achieve their goals & live their best lives. I realized that last year, so becoming a life coach is definitely going to be something I pursue in 2018.
  • Direct, produce, write, film, & act in a full-length indie film. This was on last year’s list & I didn’t do it. Which means I HAVE to do it this year. I love film, I love acting, & I think it would be super-awesome to actually make my own film. I’ve completed four short films, but I’m taking the bull by the horns this time & making a feature-length film.
  • Expand my network & make genuine friends. Everybody can benefit from this, & it’s something I definitely need to do. It’s also outside of my current comfort zone, so you know what that means? I have to do it to grow.
  • Get all the domains I have purchased but never made websites out of made into websites & making money for me. I currently own 10 or 11 domains, & I’m only using three of them. I’ve owned some of the domains for years & still haven’t made them public. This is embarrassing. They’re sitting around costing me money & no one can see them. So VERY SOON, all these sites are going to be up & running, & I’m going to post links to them on this blog when I do!
  • Become a fashion designer & start selling my first original clothing design. I have some great designs that I will release over the next few months. I’m so excited about seeing them when they’re done. I’ll be even more thrilled to be able to wear them myself, & being able to share them with others.
  • Walk a marathon. Last year, I walked a 5k. I need to challenge myself physically. I don’t enjoy running, but I did want a goal that was out of my (current) league, so I chose this. I know it will require a lot of training, but I’m ready to train. This will also help me achieve my goal of making 2018 my healthiest year yet.
  • Launch several products that I have in the works. Many of these are things I’ve wanted to do for forever. It’s time I made them something you can buy!
  • Complete all the online courses I have purchased. I bought them, & like my domains, they can’t benefit me until I use them.
  • Read 75 books. In 2016, I read almost no books. In 2017, I read 57 books. My goal for 2018 is 75 books. Another stretch goal, but I’m going to do my best! Besides, for a book-lover like me, the idea of reading 75 books & gaining all that knowledge makes me drool.
  • Interview more people for my blog. I love doing this, & I have a few people slated for this right now. It’s so much fun, I love the value I’m able to provide whomever I’m interviewing, & I always learn a ton.
  • Grow my online store. I have so many products, product ideas, & new designs that I can’t wait to show you!
  • Become more of a minimalist. I made progress here in the last year (it was on the 2017 list too) but I have a lot more progress to make. To echo what I said in my 2017 blurb about it,

    “This means excluding things – physical things, mental things, wasted time, unhappiness – to make more room for the things that really do feel good. I’m not trying to have as few things as possible, but as many things that make me happy with as few unnecessary things as possible. I really like this quote from this article I was reading earlier, titled Like Henry David Thoreau, but with Wi-Fi. ‘Everything in my life become my favorite thing.’ I want to live my life like that. “

  • Become a contributor to the Entrepreneur Magazine website. They’re one of my favorite websites. It would be an honor to be considered “good enough” to be a contributor. This will require me to improve & hone my writing skills, so it’s a good challenge.
  • Partner up with some of my favorite brands & companies in a way which benefits us both. With these new products & new ideas that I will launch in 2018, I’m going to add a LOT of value to the brands I partner up with.
You can stay updated on these projects & follow me on my favorite platforms with these links: