I love the New Year. It’s such an amazing time to assess life, love, and art. I am a goal oriented person, so I use this time of year to reflect on my intentions. I used to set resolutions and then fail annually. Then, I adopted Ali Edward’s One Little Word theory and started to focus each year with a word. You can’t fail with that, so it sits better with me. This year, I have chosen ‘light’ as my word.
Exploring Light
I’ve been rolling the word around in my head, telling a few trusted people about it, and spending a lot of time on Pinterest exploring the concept. I found some beautiful quotes and imagery. Through this exploration process I have decided I’d like to:
- Lighten up — laugh more
- Feel light — be joyous
- Spread the Light — bring joy to others
- See the light — get outdoors more
- Live light — continue to get rid of extraneous stuff
- Lighten my load — complete some items on my to-do list and try not to commit to anything new
- Eat light — reignite my healthy habits and lose some weight
Artistic Intentions
So those are ways I hope to personally invite light into my life this year, but what about my art? How will light play a part in my art journey this year? My first art piece says, “I will do more of what lights my soul on fire.” I think my basic art intention this year is just to do more, explore more styles and techniques, and share more of what I’m doing. I’m committed to working my way through LifeBook 2017, Wanderlust 2017, and continuing with my Art Journal Round-Robin group. I’m also teaching a couple of art lessons a month at my children’s elementary school. That’s plenty of art commitment for me as I have 3 small children and a full-time job. Maybe through all of this intensive practice and teaching, I will become more efficient, creative, and emboldened.
Music to My Ears
Every morning for the past couple of weeks, I’ve had the same song at the top of my mental playlist. Maybe you know it? “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” That’s my plan for 2017. “Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”
