Happy New Year friend!
I hope your holiday season has left you rejuvenated. I can honestly say that I'm feeling ready to face a new year after all of the hours spent adventuring, connecting, resting and painting the last few weeks.
This is definitely the time of year where all of the media and many conversations start to centre around resolutions and goals, and I as a recovering goal setter, I start to feel as though I should join in. But I'm refraining this year.
I always look back at the year I've just had, and 2019 was a big one for me. It will always remain the year that I let go of my science business to pursue a career in art. The year I took a big risk to follow a passion, and the year I got to stay home with my youngest son to see him off to kindergarten every afternoon. The year has had some amazing highs; shows, sales, commissions, teaching and connections. I'm grateful for all of them. However if I go back and look at my ambitious goals from January 2019, I would have to say that this year was a big flop. I didn't accomplish any of the big things and financial goals I set for myself.
But when I look back I see how much I was setting myself up for failure. You see, there is no way I could have anticipated what types of things would come my way in this new (much more subjective) business of mine. I had no idea how hard it would be to accomplish big things when I have only 2 hours to work each day (oh kindergarten you are tough on parents). I also could not have guessed how giving myself a break, hanging out with kids more and spending some of that precious free time at the gym would be really fulfilling. That we have been fine without the extra money, the trips, the toys... That I didn't need to win an award or teach somewhere out of province to feel that I was doing good work. That I just need to give myself a break, and be grateful because success just looked really different this year.
Success this year was my five year old developing a love of drawing everyday, it was him looking up at me and telling me how much he loved spending time with me as we did art at the kitchen table. It was having the time to really connect with the clients I was doing commissions for, to have coffee and learn about who they were not just what they wanted. It was getting to join an artist network and feel so full after each and every honest gathering we had together. It was teaching my preschool students and getting hugs after each class, and having my adult students inspire me with new ideas and feel proud of having learned a new skill. These are not things I would classify as New Years goals or resolutions, but they have given me so much purpose.
However, I can't resist this clean fresh slate feeling of a New Year and to have a focus of some sort to strive toward. But one of the many New Years emails that came my way spoke to me louder than anything else. It was about setting devotions.
So I asked what do I want to devote myself to in 2020?
I want to devote 2020 to the health and happiness of myself and my family, to connection with family and friends. I want to devote my energy to my creativity, each and everyday. And if I can show up for health, happiness, connection and creativity, what a rich year I'll have.
What will you be devoted to in 2020?
#newyearsresolutions #devotion #gratitude #workingartist #artistmother #creativity #connection #happiness #health #purpose #yycartist
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