Yes, I am still talking about the new year and resolutions and stuff. No. None of it is about losing weight. I can still bend over and paint my own toenails — I'm doing just fine.

It occurred to me some years ago that I have made a reputation for myself in the industry based on who I am, not what I do.

And that bites.

Well, mostly, it bites. Because I would be who I am if I were a supermarket cashier or a pole dancer or president of the United States. Who I am is not specific to my career. I am not an outspoken nail artist, I am an outspoken person. I just happen to be an outspoken person who is a nail artist, so most of what I speak out about is nail related. Lucky you. :-)

Nevertheless, I'm not just a pretty face with a high I.Q. I also happen to be a reasonably talented artist who prefers to work in the medium of nails.

So this is the year that I promised myself I would get started on a YouTube channel. Nothing too fancy, just some videos of the stuff I get asked about a lot ... and maybe my dog wearing socks.

Or maybe I'll start making instructional DVDs, or ... or ... or?

I said I was going to start building my empire in 2012. It's just that, now that I've been sitting down with the pen and paper, I'm not sure how one goes about building an empire.

I fear it's going to be slow at first.

Maybe I'll just entertain myself by making my dog wear socks while I try to figure out where to start.