It has been quite a year to say the least. I have no doubt you can agree. In the middle of all the unexpected, I found myself needing to find the blessings along the way. I had struggles with all the ways life changed and continued to change all year long. There was so much to be grateful for in spite of disappointments.
I will soon be taking time to look through the 2020 art goals on my wall. Thinking over each one, I will ask myself whether those objectives were met and if they should be carried over into 2021. I began this process in 2015. It was something I had read as an important step for artists in reaching milestones and in becoming more professional...becoming a "real" artist is not so scary after all.
I try to combine a list of smaller and larger goals. In past years, I would take the large goals and subdivide them into the reachable sub-goals. In 2017, my life had gotten so de-railed for art creation, that I had to write my goals in retrospect. This is a fancy way of saying that I wrote the list at the end of 2017 just before creating my 2018 goals. I felt that I wanted to have the remembered list of what I had been able to do in the midst of not having much time for art. I remembered all the ways I was able to be creative, taking that energy into other responsibilities.
So, I am encouraging you to make a list. Dream. Look ahead with anticipation. What were you able to find joy in throughout 2020? I know there was so much to feel discouraged about BUT there was a lot of good. Blessings and joy even in the hard things. That's the key. Be on the look out for what is to be savored. I have been thinking about how many wonderful things are pretty simple and easily afforded, if even free.
Waterfalls & Rivers collection released just a few days ago. This includes fifteen watercolor originals that describe my favorite landscapes in Montana. Water is a recurring subject in my artwork. Whether a river's edge, a lake, or a waterfall...somehow water adds that special element to descriptions of nature.
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Happy New Year!
-Christy