5 Things I learned in 2022
The new year is here but I am still in the reflection head space, not quite ready to “get back to work.” Partially because I believe the holiday season is too rushed and I want to be intentional in the celebration of change in seasons. I have been using the Cultivate Goal Planner for six years now and I know that the action of defining what is most important has been one of the major reasons why I am writing this right now.
As I have been reflecting over 2022 I have learned a few things in life and art.
Community
This is a hot keyword I’ve heard used a lot. It means “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals.” One human being facing the challenges of everyday life is not healthy. Community for me has been found in a few avenues. Fellowship in my local church specifically in attending a group for Moms; motherhood is a hard, vulnerable responsibility and I know that I will navigate the struggles better having the wisdom of other moms.
Renewing my membership in the Connected Artist Club and taking that a step further by joining a Studio Pod that has been committed to chatting a couple of times a month about our art is another area of community that I invested my time in over the past year.
Renew & Release
I came across a book this summer called Bored & Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self by Manoush Zamorodi and it challenged me to setting better boundaries on my mobile device specifically for me around Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. During a week of intimate rest with my husband I noted how the first day I felt an anxious bored without my phone to scroll through but by the end of four days I still had the urge to grab my phone but also felt better, content, creative, relaxed.
I started to correlate a monthly Renew & Release week with my pelvic bowl releasing her blood. I uninstall all social media and start to pay more attention to my nervous system; asking myself ‘what do I need right now?’ or ‘what feels pleasurable right now?’
3. Saying No without the guilt
I can say no without feeling “guilty.” The false guilt comes from an overwhelming attempt to please and meet the need of everyone except for myself. People pleaser alert! This year saying No appeared as not attending an evening event with my husband because it keeps our son out too late, I said no to going to playgrounds EVERY SINGLE DAY because I needed time at home, I said no to helping someone in need because my mental health was deteriorating.
I also noticed I was saying No to Calls for Art especially in the fourth quarter when everywhere I looked a business, gallery or space available to the public wanted artists to participate. Some of these calls for art I have submitted too have been catalysts for opportunities later but feeling the rush of anxiety when I saw another call for art triggered me into saying no more. I feel like this topic could be another blog post in the future.
4. Growth is like a roller coaster
Somewhere the belief that growth is linear was prevailing in my mind but the more I thought about it, growth is a series of ups and downs or even a period of no growth. I started 2022 with the solo show The Color of Music at The Peterborough Library in April. I had worked 3 months on the show. Because I had this show I had 2 interviews in local news media. Those paintings were the lead cause for the collaboration I had with Old Blood Noise Endeavors on their BL-44 Reverse Effects pedal, but that collaboration didn’t come around until September 2022.
Small steps do add up!
5. Collaboration
I was able to collaborate three times in 2022! I am doing a happy dance around the kitchen right now.
First, with my musician husband Chad on my solo show The Color of Music. It was his three songs that I used my sound-color synesthesia to create three large paintings interpreting his music with what I saw. If you haven’t checked out that collection head over there next.
Next, I collaborated with Tennessee photographer Annie Simmons at Annie Elizabeth Photography. I had the joy working with the bubbly and creative Annie. She wanted to explore and play with new techniques and I absolutely love that about her. I had plenty of paint in my hair that day! This collaboration gave me unique and playful imagery to use on my website and social media.
Lastly, the collaboration with Old Blood Noise Endeavors effects pedals. They created a beautiful piece of sound-over 15 mins long! I got to listen to it, see colors and patterns emerge then create an original painting for them to use on the BL-44 Reverse Pedal.
I want to collaborate more in 2023 with other artists, interior designers, theatre set designers, musicians and whoever comes to me with a fun project! Have an idea and think I can be apart of it? Let’s chat!
I am looking forward to 2023. I still have paintings available, go have a browse around!
