Resolutions of a Creative Mind.

Today I'm going to cover the irritating topic of New Year's Resolutions.  Those pesky promises to yourself that have a general tendency to go in one month and out the other.  I know the popular ideas for resolutions are "eat healthier" or "exercise more" or "work smarter not harder".  Well this year I've decided to take this challenge from a slightly different angle.  What I see as a problem for resolutions is they are just a band-aid.  A band-aid over habits we've spent years forming.  I'd say it's time to form some new habit and less "oops I fell off the wagons."

I've also decided that the tired old fitness and health resolution isn't my thing.  Yes, I will work everyday to make healthy choices, but that's not what I want my (failed) resolution to be.  This year, I've decided to take a look at my art and resolve to make it front and center in life.  To make it something I actively do, instead of passively ponder.

This, however, is too vague a concept to hit the ground running with.  What I need are specific goals I can reach, and that can build on one another to reach a big goal.  No, not a big goal, a DREAM!

I'll start out with listing a few goals I know I have:

• Create at least 2 new paintings a month. (Thus building a body of work in which to share in shows.)
• Create actual income using my art and artistic skills. (Enough so that I can consider "art" as my job)
• Inspire others to appreciate art (not just art, but understand art)
• Create a network of like-minded artists to share ideas with, and to inspire one another.
• Inspire others to take up a passion for art.
• Learn how to teach art and figure out how to offer classes online.

With a few goals in mind (and I'll be updating this list on a regular basis) I need to find a starting point.  At first I struggled with this.  Then it became so obvious.  What does each artist start their masterpiece with?  A blank canvas of course.  I looked around my creative space only to see a big mess.  Papers everywhere, photos unorganized, drawings in paper pads on shelves, and ideas started on all sizes of canvases.

This won't do.

I painted my walls a pretty shade of lavender, hung up a wire to clip drawings and ideas to and gathered up everything started, but not finished.  My first goal is clear.  CLEAN OFF THAT DRAWING BOARD!  I can't bring any new ideas to the party until I clean out the old clutter.  So for the month of February, I'm taking a look at each "old" piece (some are not actually that old, while others are very old) and decided to keep and finish, or I'm over it and reuse the canvas.

I also need to structure art time so it's not so sporadic and it gets done.  I know everyday is a bit of a stretch for me, and I'll quickly fail, so I'm going to paint at least three times a week.  (Which is open to increasing!)  I'm going to treat my art like a job, and take it seriously!

See you next time with something finished and off the drawing board!