2016 – Sophia Ravenna

My 2016 Goal!

January 4, 2016Sophia Ravenna

Here we are, it’s 2016, and it’s the time when people talk about New Years Resolutions, or keywords, or goals. For me this year, it’s a goal. One big goal. Specifically: move to Seattle.

A lot of people think I live there already. I keep getting invited to attend events there. There’s already a lot of “once you’re up here” plans in play. I feel like I’m going to be really happy once I get settled in and start taking classes and attending haflas.

So right now my focus is on the move. Every day I’m doing something to get myself closer to my goal. Currently I’m in the purging stage, getting rid of stuff I don’t want to pack and take with me. Although I do already have one duffle bag stuffed full of summer clothes, so I can say that I have started packing, too!

I have a couple other small goals. For dance, I’d like to perform a solo with my zills sometime this year. And for beauty/makeup, I feel like it’s really far past time I got over my aversion to curling my eyelashes. But I don’t want to bog myself down with too much that will prevent me from focusing on purging, packing, planning and preparing.

I am SO excited about this next chapter in my life, ready for the change of scenery and the opportunity to study with more dancers who I admire, not to mention being closer to my friends in Portland, too.

Stay tuned for regular updates about my progress!

This was an awesome year

December 30, 2015Sophia Ravenna

This was the year I got my picture taken with a HORSE.

Like all years, 2015 was filled with ups and downs, but I want to focus on the really awesome parts of this year.

I did a lot of dance things this year. Somehow I managed to do 8 Elements Initiation and Cultivation, and Tribal Fest and LVBDI and Waking Persephone and the Mira Betz retreat and some AZ workshops. That is a LOT of dance stuff.

And despite all that travel, I managed to start working my “day job” too, and found a surprising amount of satisfaction in the life of a freelancer. I don’t always enjoy the specific tasks that I’m doing, but I do enjoy feeling really appreciated by my clients. I feel like my abilities are respected, and my time is respected. Everyone I work for has been not just accommodating of my travel schedule, but excited for me.

I learned a lot this year. A lot a lot a lot. The things I’ve learned in 8 Elements really changed the way I practiced. Experiences I had in the desert with Mira and 20 other dancers caused me to change the way I think about myself and dance. And even the day job has changed how I think about myself.

As awesome as 2015 has been, though, 2016 is going to be the big year for me, I think. I’m going to leave Tucson behind in the Spring and make a new life for myself in Seattle. This is going to be the biggest change I’ve ever made (really, I think it’s bigger than marrying my husband, that felt like an easy change) and I am scared but excited by all that it entails. In some ways I feel like 2015 has just been about preparing for next year, about growing into the person I need to be in order to make big changes and settle into my new home.

Thank you to everyone who has been cheering me on this year, it’s been fun to interact with my readers online and to meet some of you at the various events I traveled to. I hope next year will be full of big adventures for all of us.

What do you want to read more of?

December 28, 2015Sophia Ravenna

I'm ready to listen to your feedback! — I’m ready to listen to your feedback!

One of the things I’m currently working on for my day job is our blog’s content plan for 2016 (which I’m really excited about because it’s an important task!), and it has me thinking about this blog, too. I’m not about to sit down and plan out what I’ll write for the entire year, because a lot of my posts are influenced by current events or new products, but I am giving some thought to what sort of content I should focus on. I’m curious about what you, my readers, care the most about and would like to see more often.

I’m definitely going to keep doing Beauty Blogging for Belly Dancers, although I plan to cut back on my cosmetic spending in the new year to save up for my move, so it may eventually become an every-other-week or even a monthly roundup. I’m also considering doing more videos, whether it’s little how-tos or just a video review as opposed to a written review.

I’m torn on other reviews. I’ll probably continue Sophia’s Shelf, since I have a huge stack of dance-related books I want to read. But should I also be working my way through my DVDs? And how about music reviews? Would you like me to talk more about the music I perform and practice to?

Professional Ambitions is here to stay for at least the next 6-9 months as I think my move to Seattle is going to be an interesting time in my dance career, as I try to settle into a new community and I have different opportunities open up to me.

I’ve been toying with bringing back the Follow Your Dreams series. There’s a few people I’d like to reach out to for interviews.

What else would you like to see more of from me? Inspiration posts? Anatomy of a Costume? Opinions about things in the dance community? Event recap posts? Is there anything you don’t like reading?

Please share your opinions in the comments, on my Facebook page, or use the Contact Me form if you’d like to have a private conversation about it. Thanks!