I know. I know.
It’s the first post after the new year, and here I am writing about my maker goals. Groundbreaking.
To make it even worse, I technically haven’t posted all year — which sounds pretty bad until you realize this is the first post. Dad joke out of the way. We can move on now.
But here’s the thing: I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions. At least not the way we usually talk about them. They tend to be rigid, fragile, and weirdly guilt‑driven. You miss a week, fall behind, and suddenly the whole thing feels like a failure.
Goals feel different.
Goals give you direction without demanding perfection. They let you aim at something, adjust when life happens, and still feel like you’re moving forward.
That’s especially true with MYOG-style projects. You start building one thing and quickly realize you need to learn a new skill, tweak your process, or even pause to make a tool or pattern first. That detour isn’t failure — it’s what makes the project yours. To learn more about my MYOG mentality, check out my article about what MYOG means to me.
That’s what I want this year to be about — making progress, finishing things, and letting each project teach me the skills that unlock even better ones down the road.
Why I’m Choosing Goals Over Resolutions
I’ve tried resolutions before. Most of us have. They usually start strong and fade quietly somewhere around mid‑February.
The problem isn’t motivation — it’s structure.
Creative hobbies like sewing, 3D printing, and ham radio don’t work well under rigid rules. They’re iterative by nature. You try something, mess it up, learn a little, and try again. That process doesn’t fit neatly into a checkbox.
Goals, on the other hand, are flexible by design.
A goal doesn’t care how you get there, just that you keep moving. It leaves room for curiosity, detours, and the occasional complete rethink. That’s the mindset I want to lean into this year — treating everything as an experiment instead of a pass/fail test.
The Big Picture: What I Want This Year to Be About
Zooming out for a minute, this year isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing things with intent.
I want to:
- Finish projects instead of endlessly starting new ones
- Design things for real use, not just for the sake of making
- Build skills that compound over time
- Share the process honestly — mistakes included
I also want to be more consistent here on the blog.
Not perfect. Just present.
And finally, I want to start easing into video content. Nothing flashy or overproduced. Just another way to document builds, explain ideas, and show what’s actually happening on the workbench. Writing will stay the foundation, but video feels like a natural extension of the same process.
Project Goals for the Year
These are the builds I want to complete by the end of the year. There’s no particular order to them, and this list isn’t exhaustive. Some are big. Some are small. All of them teach me something — and I fully expect to add to this list as the year goes on.
1. 6×6 Mogster RC Car (3D Sets)
This one is purely for fun.
I already have the files from 3D Sets, so this isn’t a design challenge or a scratch build. It’s a build project for kicks and giggles — and honestly, that’s part of the appeal.
What excites me here is the opportunity to learn from how 3D Sets approaches printing and assembly. Their projects are designed as in bite sized chunks with instructions that are relatively easy to follow.
Along the way, I’m hoping to pick up:
- New print orientations and techniques
- Better intuition for strength‑focused print settings
- Assembly‑first thinking instead of obsessing over individual parts
It’s a low‑pressure sandbox. Whatever I learn here will absolutely carry over into other 3D printing projects later.
2. ERCF v3 MMU Build
This project has been looming for a while.
Multi‑material printing is one of those things that feels magical when it works and deeply frustrating when it doesn’t. Finishing the ERCF v3 is less about the end result and more about committing to the process.
This build forces patience.
It forces calibration. Iteration. Understanding filament handling at a deeper level than “load spool, hit print.”
If I can finish this and understand it, a lot of future ideas suddenly become possible — from cleaner multi‑color prints to more complex functional parts.
3. Dog Kennel Pad
This project matters for reasons that have nothing to do with learning curves.
On the surface, it’s a sewing project. But it represents a shift in how I approach sewn items — moving from “this works” to “this is durable, comfortable, and made to last.”
Working with bulk, thickness, and reinforced seams is a different game. It requires better planning, better material choices, and more confidence at the machine.
Finishing this one feels important.
4. Ham Radio Pouch for My Radio
This is where multiple hobbies start overlapping.
Designing a ham radio pouch means thinking like a user first. How the radio gets packed. How cables route. What needs quick access in the field.
It’s not just sewing — it’s layout planning, pattern drafting, and iteration based on real‑world use. I expect this project to evolve over time, and that’s part of the fun.
If it works well, it becomes gear I actually use. If it doesn’t, it teaches me what to change next time.
5. Pencil Bag for My Wife
This is the smallest project on the list — and maybe the most meaningful.
It’s a reminder that not everything has to be big or complicated to matter. Clean construction, good fit, thoughtful details.
Making something for someone else forces a different kind of care. And honestly, those projects tend to teach more than we expect.
Skills I Want to Learn (and Get Better At)
These projects are just vehicles. The real goal is skill growth.
Sewing
I want cleaner seams. Better finishing. More confidence designing instead of strictly following patterns. I want to practice more by simply making more things — and learn how to take projects all the way to a high level of finish, potentially even to the point where they’re worth selling.
That also means learning new tools and techniques along the way, like using a bias tape maker to clean up bias-bound seams instead of avoiding them.
Working with heavier materials is a big focus this year — learning what the machine, thread, and fabric can actually handle when pushed a little.
3D Printing
I want to design and print parts with assembly in mind, and start treating CAD as a core skill instead of a necessary evil. This will likely include spending some time in FreeCAD, getting better at modeling in an actual CAD application.
Strength matters more than surface finish for many of the things I build, and I want my prints to reflect that.
Ham Radio + Field Gear
This is all about usability — but it also means actually getting out and operating more.
Designing gear to support my operations only works if I’m using it in the real world. I’ve had a lot of fun with portable operations in the past, and I want to get back to that rhythm: going out, operating, learning what works, and letting that experience directly inform the gear I design.
I also want to expand the modes I use while I’m out there. That likely means spending more time with digital modes and learning tools like FLDigi and WSJT‑X, not just from a software perspective but as part of a complete operating workflow.
Better cable management. Better portability. Fewer compromises in the field — and more time actually on the air.
Tools I Expect to Add Along the Way
Some of these goals will require new tools.
That’s not a failure — it’s part of the process.
The goal isn’t to collect gear, but to add tools intentionally and learn them well. A tool only earns its place if it enables better work, not faster shortcuts.
Sharing the Journey: Blog First, Video Next
Writing will stay the backbone of this whole thing.
The blog is where ideas get clarified and lessons get documented. Video will come in slowly, as a supplement — another way to show builds in progress and explain decisions as they happen.
No big promises. Just steady momentum.
Direction Over Perfection
This year isn’t about flawless execution.
It’s about direction.
Goals give me something to aim at without punishing me for adjusting along the way. If plans change, that’s fine. If a project takes longer than expected, that’s normal.
What matters is staying curious, finishing what I start, and sharing what I learn.
And hey — if I make it all the way to December and this is still the only post?
At least I can say I technically posted every year.
Here’s to seeing where this one goes — and if you’re working on your own projects, learning new skills, or figuring things out as you go, I’d love for you to follow along and share the journey too.
