Looking Back and Moving Forward: 2014-15

It's that time again...

2014 in 14 Outfits

January-April May-August September-NovemberDecember

14 Trends 2014 Brought to My WardrobeCulottes; The Return of the Gypsy Top; The Blanket Cape; The Pep HemGingham; The Pastel Midi Skirt; The Designer Parody Tee;  Sheer MayhemRunning Shoes + Suits; The Pink Biker; The Return of the Mule; The Teddy Bear Fur CoatPearls Go Large; The New Embellished Sunnies

Looking Back and Moving Forward

OK, so if 2013 was all about discovering the joys of "opening doors" and "just doing it", I think I did a pretty good job of keeping it up in 2014 - alongside my continuing thespian activities, signing up for the ice skating course I'd been dying to take for the previous 15 years, taking up beginners' gymnastics despite never having managed a passable cartwheel, and giving pole dancing and meditation a whirl. Less than a week into 2015, I'm already recovering from a day of aerial "taster" classes (well worth it, even if my legs are black and blue and fingers swollen up like sausages), and looking forward to giving skiing a bash at my local dry slopes next weekend... and the to-do list continues to grow! Next summer should mark a turning point for me, one way or another, when my 2-year acting course ends, but, aside from hopefully having mastered underwater somersaults, what will have befallen me a year from now is largely a mystery...

14 Things I Did in 2014 Which Would Have Shocked "2013" Me

1. A one-legged upward bow/full wheel.
2. A no-handed dive roll.
3. A fireman's jump.
4. And a fireman's spin.
5. Ice skated backwards.
6. And on one foot (at least for a few seconds).
7. And jumped on ice (several millimetres).
8. Wore mules.
9. Played Alice in Wonderland... and Jesus... at the same time.
10. And got crucified on stage.
11. Had half my hair cut off.
12. Acquired a Mr Muses.
13. Gave up alcohol for 46 days.
14. Wore a suit with trainers.

Revisiting Last Year's Resolutions:

1. Update "master plan", including regular time slots for hair/beauty/DIY/photographic experimentation, playing the piano and stretching (so as to progress a little, ahem, further with last year's ongoing resolutions) alongside steps towards my bigger goals, and, of course, blogging.
• Result: Master plan gradually became more acting- and "new skills"-focused (i.e. prancing on ice/forward rolling), but, despite a brief intermission early on in the year, I kept the blog going, and maintained a healthy influx of new "material" (i.e. fedoras, coats, playsuits...) Piano and split stretching? Err... not so much.
2. Check in with plan weekly; do not hide it in terror before February dawns.
• Result: Success! 
3. Maintain New Year levels of tidiness, avoiding precarious chair/desk/floor-based piles of detritus.
• Result: Yes! Unprecedented levels of tidiness and organisation reigned this year...
4. Exit bed before dusk begins to fall (even in January... er, this one starts tomorrow).
• Result: Yes -  possibly time to be slightly more ambitious with this one now...
5. Enter bed before dawn begins to dawn (even in June... at least 6 days a week).
• Result: Yes. Broken only for the purposes of cultural self-improvement, e.g. midnight Shakespeare matinees at The Globe.
6. Work hard.
• Result: Yep.
7. Play hard.
• Result: Yep.
8. Open doors.
• Result: Yep - well, plucked up the courage to try a greater number of new things than during previous 28 years combined.
9. Acquire a pink coat.
• Result: An early success - additionally, acquired outerwear in shades including (but not limited to) orange, yellow, burgundy, blue, lime, dogtooth...
10. (Added later) Get outside to take blog photos whenever possible, weather-permitting.
• Result: Yes! Well maybe not quite "whenever possible", but still...

This Year's Resolutions:

1. Try out the following:
• Aerial Hoop (tick)
• Trapeze (tick)
• Aerial Silks (tick)
• Skiing (soon to be ticked...)
• Synchronised Swimming
2. Go to gymnastics classes every week, schedule-permitting.
3. Practise at home every week - by the end of 2015, be able to:
• Execute a perfect handstand...
• And cartwheel...
• And back walkover.
4. Take a regular meditation/bioenergetics course.
5. Take dance classes in new styles, inc. lambazouk.
6. Take singing lessons.
7. Go vegan for 46 days.
8. Film a YouTube lookbook.
9. If I get into drama school, cut my hair again.
10. Keep up the good work re: masterplanning and detritus minimisation.

What were your favourite 2014 trends? Are you making any resolutions for 2015..?