As the new year rolls in, I find myself reflecting on the tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions. Like many, my lists tend to start with the usual suspects: use my time better, eat healthier, lose 10 pounds, and so on. This year, however, feels different. I've decided it’s time for a change—a shift in perspective that prioritizes my well-being and creative journey.

2025 is officially the year of slowing down for me. Instead of rushing through life and art, I want to take deliberate steps to enjoy the process. My focus is now on savoring the little things: exploring nature more often, genuinely enjoying that first cup of coffee in the morning, and engaging in sketching purely for pleasure rather than production. This might sound challenging, especially for someone like me who is used to juggling a two-page to-do list every day. But I believe it’s a necessary transition.

While I still plan to promote my art and actively seek out new galleries and exhibitions, I will do it on my terms and within my timeline. There is something deeply rewarding about creating with freedom, without the pressure of deadlines or expectations. It’s about rediscovering the joy of art and letting my creativity flow naturally.

So here’s to a new year filled with deliberate pauses, mindful creations, and the beauty of taking it slow. I hope to inspire fellow artists and creators to embrace this idea of slowing down and reflecting on what truly matters in our artistic journeys. Let this new year be a celebration of the process and the art within ourselves rather than just the end product. Happy New Year!

Note: I am taking a mini 7-day course on sketching. It’s from Jen Brandon, who paints animals and includes timed sketches with reference photos. It is stirring up my creativity and helping me become a little loser with my art.

I am famous for writing out New Year’s resolutions. Always listing out the rules for next year: stop procrastinating, schedule your days to accomplish more, eat clean, exercise daily, etc. etc. etc... Some I do try to keep, most are listed in the next year’s resolutions to try again. Then the self-imposed criticism begins: you don’t exercise enough, why don’t you paint more, maybe you don’t really have the passion to be an artist, today was wasted, what did you accomplish, so on and so on and so on. The last week in December, I was trying to complete all started projects from 2019. I wanted to have a clean start for the New Year. I thought to myself: this year I will tackle all the resolutions I set. This will not be a wasted year, I will accomplish! I then started the task of varnishing paintings finished in the last few months and was shocked at how many I had completed. This was not the production of a lazy person. Was I judging me wrong? I stopped and really listened to myself. What was I doing? This was a bad approach. You will get nowhere with negative comments. Isn’t a loving, positive approach far more successful in motivating people? It was so apparent to me that this list was only causing more stress and certainly not helping my creative production. So this year I refuse to be hard on me. I will take time to list all the accomplishments of last year, all the good things that happened and be grateful for all I have. I’m going to listen really listen to just what I need.

That morning I sat a little too long with my coffee: I was contemplating my next group of
paintings.
That afternoon I took a nap on the studio sofa: I was banking energy to complete the next
project.
That day I started cooking an elaborate meal instead on working on my book: My family
needed me.
It is all in how we look at things, and this year it will be different.

That New Years Blog that was three weeks late: I was taking care of my needs.