Happy New Year!
Are you easing in to the new year alright? I hope so! I hope you had a magical holiday season and are getting inspired by all the hope the new year holds.
2024 was a mostly good year, really. It ended with some twists, but I am heading into the new year feeling very grateful and inspired with hope anew.
I sent out my quarterly newsletter with a larger recap on the year and looking back I did have quite a few little adventures! I think I would like to paint paint some of them this year. Which leads me into my goals!
My number one goal of the year is to make more art. I want to create more than I consume and I want to grow as an artist. I have a very lengthy list of art I want to create and now is the time to bring it to life! I can't wait to bring you along! This past year I created a collection of bows (view collection and available originals here) and it was such a joy to paint! It also happens to be my most successful collection yet with 75% sold! 84% if you count the three I kept for myself! While I love creating collections I think for at least the start of the year my focus is going to be on creating individual pieces of art just so I don't get caught up in the details with launching a big collection. See my train of thought there? I have always worked toward a collection of work so this will be a fun change I think!
I sort of broke my goals down into three main ones because I felt that might be good to dedicate my attention to three things rather than getting overwhelmed by so many aspirations. So my second goal is to better my online presence and community. The people I have met and connected with so far have been so supportive and kind and I am so grateful to them! My overarching goal, of course, is to be a full time artist, so I guess essentially this goal is to expand my reach and develop those trusting communal relationships. This is a bit more abstract I guess, but I'm trying to get ahead and get organized.
My final goal involves a personal project I've had on my mind for a couple years-- I am going to actually do it this year! I'm determined. I'll share more about this one when I'm ready.
What are your goals for the year? Mine are really sort of all art/business related, but I guess I do have a goal in the back of my mind to make time for my hobbies as well as my art. So maybe that is my one personal goal in addition to my more structured goals. Being creative and spending my time in that space is so important to me. Which is why I've decided my word of the year will be Create. It encompasses all of my goals (including my personal fun one) and I feel really connected to it. Do you do a word of the year?
As I stated, my number one goal of the year is to create more art and I want to add to that- to be creative in some way every day.
I don’t want to get stuck in the idea that time must be spent rushing to the next thing. The mentality of get things done. Check it off the list. This is a rushing mentality. For certain mundane tasks, yes, it is okay to find efficient ways to do them, but I want to savor my life. Every year goes by quicker than the last. I want the end of 2025 to feel like it was so full it would burst if I didn’t move on to 2026. And I want it to be full of beautiful things. I saw an idea that modernization is the lack of creativity- it values efficiency over craftsmanship. I want to be a craftsman. I don’t want the time it takes to do something make it seem like it’s not worth it.
Time is valuable and I want to spend it doing the things I love.
Thank you so much for following along with me and spending time with me here and wherever you see me on the internet. Your support and kindness means the world to me and I'm looking forward to all the memories (and art) we'll make in 2025! I sincerely hope it's your best year yet.
~Sammy