New Directions, New Habits
Now that I've decided on my new directions, I realize I need to establish new habits to make them possible.
My Art Salon group is nearing the end of its time, and the last session is entitled 'Create Good Habits'. Here are some of the things on a checklist of "what to do now":
Take an art class
Visit a museum
Attend an art lecture
Apply for a grant
Write about my art
Write about other people's art
Update my mailing list
Practice speaking
Call a customer
Attend a motivational seminar
Host an open studio
Review goals
Enter a juried exhibition
The lesson also asks us to decide what things we need to do daily, weekly, monthly and yearly to stay in "tip-top shape" with the marketing of our work.
For me, working on at least 2 things a day, every day will become a new habit to focus on. I know myself well enough to know that if I don't have a pressing product creation deadline, such as a show, I'm more likely to spend time on Internet research than on creative playing or developing a new technique or refining one I now use. I also realize I must put down the many ideas I have for new products, new embellishments for masks, and new clock designs I have at those odd moments (like waiting at red lights, in the shower, or just about to fall asleep).
As a planner and list maker, this is right up my alley. I've begun the process by making a list of the things I need to accomplish this week. This makes me focus, and I just love checking off the boxes when I've completed a task--a quintessentially Virgo trait!
So, blog posts may be shorter for awhile, as I focus on the rest of my list (blog posts are on it, of course!). But, as always, I will share my inspirations with you. Today, it's Ndebele women painting their houses. These come from The History of the Ndebele Wallpainting Project, the Ndebele People, and their Art
"It is women who have been the practitioners of the artistic forms that are such striking Ndebele cultural markers. In beadwork and wallpainting, women have an outlet for the expression of their experience of the world, of their aspirations, and of their identity as individuals and as part of a group. The first paintings' imagery came primarily from the women's beadwork traditions that go back hundreds of years. "
I also want my art to be an expression of my experience of the world, my aspirations and my identity. Time to get back to it.
My Art Salon group is nearing the end of its time, and the last session is entitled 'Create Good Habits'. Here are some of the things on a checklist of "what to do now":
Take an art class
Visit a museum
Attend an art lecture
Apply for a grant
Write about my art
Write about other people's art
Update my mailing list
Practice speaking
Call a customer
Attend a motivational seminar
Host an open studio
Review goals
Enter a juried exhibition
The lesson also asks us to decide what things we need to do daily, weekly, monthly and yearly to stay in "tip-top shape" with the marketing of our work.
For me, working on at least 2 things a day, every day will become a new habit to focus on. I know myself well enough to know that if I don't have a pressing product creation deadline, such as a show, I'm more likely to spend time on Internet research than on creative playing or developing a new technique or refining one I now use. I also realize I must put down the many ideas I have for new products, new embellishments for masks, and new clock designs I have at those odd moments (like waiting at red lights, in the shower, or just about to fall asleep).
As a planner and list maker, this is right up my alley. I've begun the process by making a list of the things I need to accomplish this week. This makes me focus, and I just love checking off the boxes when I've completed a task--a quintessentially Virgo trait!
So, blog posts may be shorter for awhile, as I focus on the rest of my list (blog posts are on it, of course!). But, as always, I will share my inspirations with you. Today, it's Ndebele women painting their houses. These come from The History of the Ndebele Wallpainting Project, the Ndebele People, and their Art
"It is women who have been the practitioners of the artistic forms that are such striking Ndebele cultural markers. In beadwork and wallpainting, women have an outlet for the expression of their experience of the world, of their aspirations, and of their identity as individuals and as part of a group. The first paintings' imagery came primarily from the women's beadwork traditions that go back hundreds of years. "I also want my art to be an expression of my experience of the world, my aspirations and my identity. Time to get back to it.
Comments
Very nice blog and great 'to do' list!