Nice to meet you, 2011

{a fortune from a fortune cookie glued to my studio journal.
a ceramic hand that one of the postal workers gave to me at my local post office in Seattle as all of my packages that I shipped out for amanobooks had a stamped hand image. I love this little hand}

Actually the title for this post is a little disingenuous. I wish I could hit restart on 2011. So, I am. Today is the beginning of my 2011, nice to meet you! I am ready for you now.

I am one of those people that if I don’t write it down, it’s not going to happen. Even for personal tasks, I have to make a list. My son and I read The Frog and Toad Collection Box Set (I Can Read Book 2), which were among my favorites when I was little. There is a story about Toad who writes lists for everything, but then one day he loses his list and he doesn’t know what to with himself! I am totally Toad.

But I also like to write down intentions for the year- if I don’t know what I’m aiming for, if I can’t visualize it, how am I even going to try to get there? People don’t like to make resolutions, but a resolution is just a word. Intention, resolution, whatever you call it, it’s about directing your energy towards something. And that’s always a good thing.

First I wanted to look at what I wrote for 2010 and see how I did with my art goals.

1. Keep painting. I know it will be hard to, but will have to find a way. My husband says that I am a more balanced person when I have good painting days. I would say that I did this. I really started painting again starting in June. It is still always a balancing act, but something I’m always willing to teeter-totter with.

2. Keep exploring my symbols,my inner dialogue. Mmmmhmm, this is something that will always be on my horizon.

3. Paint bigger!! I will still keep doing small paintings, but more and more I want to paint larger, which also means I will be “less” productive. But that’s a given anyway with a baby on the way, so why not go all out?! Did paint a few larger paintings, but still not where I want to be with that goal. But getting there!

4. Be in the present, in the Now. My children are a gift to me and it’s important for me and them to be Present. This is my most important task and I think I did fairly well, but again something that is a constant. It is hard to do at times with all the things that I am always wanting to get done, business-wise and personal-wise, but awareness is the key. At the same time, it’s not so hard- my son is my joy, my daughter is my heart, I am blessed to have them in my life.

5. Be open to possibilities and opportunities. Yes. Although,one of the hardest things that I had to do this year was say no to two pretty big art opportunities. But I have to be realistic and I didn’t want to do a disservice to myself, my family, or to the venues. The timing was just off and I just have to believe and have faith that I will get more similiar opportunities in the future.

6. Rewrite my artist statment Done!

Now for My Intentions for 2011:

1. Redesign my art website

2. Relaunch my Etsy site– I visited Crystal Neubauer’s booth at Chicago’s One of A Kind Art show this past December and she was in the etsy emerging artist section. It is expensive to get in this show, so if I can get in through the esty category, that would be fantastic. This is a long term goal, not one that I foresee being done this year, but something to keep my eye on.

3. Submit to shows on a regular, scheduled basis. I’ve already got January crossed off! I don’t know how realistic this is, but an online friend of mine Windi Rosson did this one year, submitted to a show once a month, and I was in awe. An artist once told me (before I started painting again) that if I didn’t have room filled with rejection slips, then I wasn’t trying hard enough. I’ve never forgotten those wise words. I’m expecting to only last 3 months, but I’ll give it a go. I just don’t have enough work right now for revolving submissions and I’m aware of that. I may have to readjust at one point and do every other month.

4. Start teaching workshops. In the works, stay tuned…

5. In order to attempt all this I need to be super-organized. Enter work into my workingartist database as soon as it’s done. Keep resume up to date so it can be printed out when needed. Get paperwork things organized- the business side of artmaking is really time consuming. Must streamline so that I don’t go crazy.

This may all seem way too much to get done when I also have two little kids that I am home with. But the key for me is to make goals and try…and not feel bad if I can’t make it happen. It’s all about adjusting, taking steps back,readjusting, letting go. Enjoying the ride. I can’t help but make these goals, I’m a capicorn.

Okay, 2011, let’s see what you’ve got for me.