New Year, Fresh Start

Who doesn’t love a clean slate and fresh start? I know, I know, the whole January fresh start/new year/new you is just about old news by now as it is nearly the end of January😆.

Every year for a while now I’ve taken time out in January to reflect over the previous year and dream about the new one. However, this new year was met with the shocking loss of a loved one and Covid hitting my household. It’s been jarring to say the least. How could I possibly reflect and dream about the future in the midst of deep grief and extremely stressful circumstances?

The answer is that I couldn’t. Not really. But there were pockets of time where my mind and heart were in a place where thoughts and dreams could bubble to the surface. Something I’ve learned over the past 10 years is how cathartic my creative practice is for me and I knew that it was good and right to give it some attention.

One of the major ideas that kept surfacing was how much I desire to grow as an artist. One of the ways that I want to achieve that goal is by playing a lot more in my studio…there are many artists I admire who consistently advise to play more and not be afraid to rip things up, throw things away, try new things. So, this year I am making a commitment to myself to do that. But I need help with this so I’ve just started reading “Creative Block” by Danielle Krysa (insta: @thejealouscurator) which has soooo many great ideas in it!

Another way I am planning on growing as an artist is to commit to the practice of daily painting. I’m scared to death of sharing this publicly of course b/c I tend to paint only when I feel like it and what if I fail, what if every single painting is crap😬? But I need this challenge if I am going to grow. So, we’ll see what happens and I’ll take all the encouragement I can get 😉 and I promise to share my process with you along the way…the ups and the downs! The days I paint AND the days I don’t. I have so many ideas I want to explore! You can follow my journey over on Insta & FB: @annetemplestudio

Thanks for reading all this! I have many more ideas and plans and projects to share so stay tuned. Here’s to starting your year with fun, creativity, love and joy!

Xo,

Anne Temple