Here are 5 important lessons I have learned this year.
- Just do it. Without hesitation: Just. Do. It. Do those things you’ve been talking about. Paint. Write. Draw. Play. Explore. It won’t be perfect, and it may not even be pretty, but it will be good, and good for you. As so many of my artist friends say, #doitfortheprocess. And, as Yoda said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
- Share it with friends. Plan a show; get some drinks, cheese, crackers, and brownies, then invite your friends to see what you’ve been up to, or to listen to you read your own writing, or to listen to you play music and/or sing. These friends will give you more support and love than you can imagine. And you will be filled up and forever grateful.
- Don’t be afraid to sell. Sell (or barter) your work. It has significance. It has meaning. Your creation will continue to exude the thought, meaning and energy you put into it, long after it has left your studio. That has great value to an untold number of people. Your time making it is really only just the start.
- Take stock and begin again. After sharing the afternoon with friends, chatting about what inspires them (and me, both through my work and in life), I came away with a great energy and focus to keep going. I hope to draw more, paint more, and create more throughout the next year. Interestingly, the work that people commented on most on were the ones I am most at ease creating. Perhaps “following the path of least resistance” applies here.
- Give thanks. I send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came, who chatted, who purchased, who helped out, and who asked great questions. I am also thankful for the opportunity, time, and space to make more art. I am thankful for the inspiration that floods into me; beginning with the beautiful place I live in to the amazingly creative, smart, and compassionate people I’m surrounded by everyday. XOXO