Happy New Year to everyone! I trust you all celebrated New Years in your own way, quietly watching TV or reading and in bed before midnight (like us), or dinner and drinks with friends, or at a large, busy party. Whichever way you like to ring in the new year, I hope you had fun!
As always, at the start of a new year, we reflect backwards and project forwards. As I read through all the new year postings in the last couple days, I see most of us are in the same boat.....trying to figure out where we are and where we'd like to be during 2013. Once again there are many who are choosing their 'single guiding word' for the year. I'm not sure how helpful that is to me since I'm pretty sure I chose one last year but have no idea what it is.....guess I didn't pay enough attention to my word! :)
This year I'll try again and as I thought about my art and my life over the last couple weeks, the word that kept coming to mind is FOCUS. That's what I need, FOCUS. I need to be able to settle down, work on my art with purpose and attention and FOCUS. I need to have fun and explore, but with FOCUS. So, there you go - my 2013 word.
Then, goals. Well, again, not so big on setting a bunch of goals. But I do feel it helps with FOCUS if I have some stated intentions. So, my intentions:
- I intend to improve and expand my collage skills so I'm joining
Hanna (iHanna) in her quest for 365 collages produced this year. I'll try for daily, or close to it, but the real goal is to create a body of work, a solid progression, a focus on one primary media. She's encouraging folks to join her - making 365 of something, anything.....drawings, photographs, haiku......whatever your interest.
- I intend to continue with my photography (I love my camera) and figure out how to incorporate my photos in my art - both digital art and collages.
- I intend to practice my lettering skills and work on incorporating lettering in my journaling (my son gave me a set of calligraphy pens for Christmas - yahoo!) - I'm participating in
ALAW again this year.
- I intend to be encouraging and encouraged, inspiring and inspired, share my progress and ideas and borrow ideas from others -
I intend for this to be a GREAT year!
I now have this hanging over my art table - it will help remind me of what I want to FOCUS on this year! I even left some room to add more if I think I need to redirect my focus.
Of course I still have other artsy things that I want to do and will work on -
mail art (love that!), ATCs (going to start participating in swaps this year),
Artists Playroom,
Inspiration Avenue, and
Artsyville challenges (I have to be careful not to over commit on these). Okay, as I read all this stuff I'm thinking - YIKES, I've totally gone overboard; I'll never be able to keep up. I can't do it all. Scale back. But when I look at what I'm willing to NOT do, I can't see one thing. So for now, onward and upward. We'll see what has to give as the year progresses.
Yesterday, day one of the new year, I started with a bang! I worked in my art journal (I'm following
Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's plan of at least 10 minutes a day- not necessary to 'finish' a page every day), worked in my restraint journal for my first collage of the year (simple inspirational collages, another iHanna suggestion from last year), and I finished up my inspiration deck for Sandy Hook for Jess over at
In Search of Dessert. A great start to my new year.....
365collage #1 in Restraint Journal; tissue paper, my painted paper scrap, burlap, inspirational image
How about you? What are your plans, hopes, intentions for this year? I'm so excited to share another year of artistic discovery and sharing, encouragement and support with all of you - people I've come to like, to respect, to admire and people I call friends. Thanks for including me in your group.
By the way, I'm linking to Jenn's Artist Playroom - this week's theme is
CELEBRATE. I'm celebrating my intentions for the new year and the FOCUS with which I'm going to manage them! Happy New Year Jenn!
