Now that every other visual, print, and digital media outlet in the universe has bombarded us with New Years Resolution lists for 2012, I thought it might be prime time to share mine.  I swear I came up with this idea before I saw the National Trust’s blog post regarding preservation resolutions for the new year.  I am not saying I came up with the idea first, but that I came about it independently :).  My preservation resolutions for 2012 are below in no particular order.

~Remember to keep my memberships and donations to preservation organizations current.  In these tough economic times charitable donations are often the first thing to suffer.  Keeping my financial backing for organizations that I believe have good goals and messages is more important now than ever.  We Mississippians are known as very generous when it comes to charitable giving, so whatever local, state or national preservation organization(s) you support or have been thinking to support, hop to it and share what you can.

~Work to prove the old phrase “Preservation Means Business” true.  In tight times we often have to make do with what we have.  This can be preservation’s time to shine, and show how preservation can be a major economic engine.  Whether it’s creating a historic district as a tourist attraction, or retooling an old historic factory, or business for new use, it’s all preservation and it means business.

~Read more.  Books both new and old, digital and hard copy, that cover a variety of preservation aspects.  Re-read books I’ve read before and catch something I may have not noticed the first time ’round.

~Take lots of photographs.  While I spend a lot of time photographing buildings, I need to remember to photograph streetscapes. I’ll do my best to not think of a structure as insular, but of its participation in the landscape as a whole.  I’ll strive to photograph places along with the events and folks that make places all that much more important.

~Keep better records/ be better organized.  I would be able to write more posts and remember more information if I was better organized.

~Get out and visit that Mississippi place in person.  Think about a place you learned about from MissPres and take a trip.  If funds are tight, you don’t have to go far.  Be a tourist in your own town or head down that red dirt road you’ve always wanted to.

As far as my hopes for the blog this year, I hope we continue to have interesting and varying posts.  I hope that JRGordon has only happy news round ups for us.  As Malvaney noted in the post 2011 In Review, every month last year had a greater number of visitors than any month in 2010.  I hope we can have the same growth in 2012.  I also hope for even more comments from MissPres readers.  Comments are a great gauge of feed back and information for the authors and give everyone more insight to a story.  Some of the most popular posts have sprung from the comment section of a previous post.

Do you have any preservation related new year’s resolutions?  If so please share!  It might be one I would like to include as a resolution on my own list.

Categories: Cool Old Places, Heritage Tourism, Historic Preservation, National Trust