Isn't it wonderful to begin a brand new year with a sense of hope and a lighter feeling? A whole calendar of days, pristine and unstained by what's come before (or so it seems). I'm not sure what it is about the new date that makes me so ridiculously hopeful and even expectant of good things to come, but there it is.

Unfortunately for me, 2016 ended much the way 2015 did—sick an upper respiratory infection that started way before Christmas. At the end of 2015, I wanted to throw the whole year in a trash heap and say forgetaboutit. 2015 seemed like a horrid, awful year even though it really wasn't. What I realized and wrote about here was that I was judging the whole year on the last two weeks of December when I was so ill.

Realizing I had not done a very good job of keeping track of my goals and accomplishments for the year, I resolved to make some serious changes. At the beginning of 2016, I got myself a planner and an accountability partner. I have to say those are probably two of the smartest things I've done in a very long time!

I also chose a word of the year (see below) and incorporated it into my planner as well as some art that hung out on my desk all year so I would not forget the word I'd chosen. These changes had a tremendous impact!

Fast forward to the end of 2016. Even though I've been sick for two three weeks, my feelings towards the whole year are completely, totally different. I can thumb through a stack of weekly emails that tracked what I worked on and when, goals accomplished, areas that could stand to be improved and a few areas where there simply was not enough interest to keep going. I redirected that energy into areas that could benefit from more attention.

My word of the year started out as progress and then progressed into thrive around the middle of the year. I was able to create more "live" teaching opportunities for 2017 with classes at Keeton's, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens as well as a chance to teach a week-long workshop in England with The Blue Walk! That's when I realized my progress was turning into thrive as many of my goals were beginning to come to fruition!

I found that having someone read my list of tasks week after week was a great motivator to get things done that probably wouldn't have happened without that check-in. It was also nice to have someone ask for specifics on an ongoing project as it helped me to get interested again when I found myself getting sidetracked by too many other tempting opportunities.

It also motivated me when I had one of those weeks that went off the rails and nothing on my tasks list was accomplished. My partner was there offer insights, to help me pick myself up and to push me forward rather than letting me sink into a pity party (that had the potential to derail the next few weeks).

As the year marched by, we started to refine our lists and efforts in ways that helped us to see where we were going and what we were doing as well as what we were accomplishing. We celebrated each other's accomplishment and milestones. We had occasional meet-ups so we could discuss things more fully than you can via email.

When we met late last year to wrap up 2016 and celebrate our accomplishments, we started working on ways we can leverage last year's success into making 2017 an even better year. The year has already gotten off to a crazy-busy start with several streams of attention that I'm attempting to juggle.
I suspect both my planner and my accountability partner are going to key to keeping me on track. Otherwise, I'm fairly confident I'm going to fall victim to attention splatter (read more on that here).



How did your 2016 shake-out? I know some of you were going to use planners while others were going to use a bullet journal or a program online and some of you lucky duckies were retiring...what worked for you and what didn't??

 Let's learn and grow from each other by sharing ideas!
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Practicing my lettering in the No Name Sketchbook (that I'm almost through with!)

As I mentioned in the last post, I am way too excited by the reset mentality that comes wrapped up in the 1st of the year. I find myself wondering where the year will take me and what I will accomplish, what new adventures will I find for myself and what, if anything, will be different NEXT January 1st.

Only time will tell!

To BEGIN. There is magic in those words! Do you feel it? To begin a fresh new year, a way of life, a new approach to life, or maybe just a new day. All new beginnings and filled with promise.

Underneath my sketchbook you can see my planner and the notes and scribbles already beginning to populate the page—heady stuff! Well, for me anyway, as it is a new beginning for how I will approach the new year.

I used planners in my old corporate life when my day was filled with scheduled meetings and phone calls, deadlines and projects. When I started working for myself, I didn't have a need for that type of planner and so I gave it up.

I'm not going to try to convince anyone to keep a planner nor am I advocating creating goals, tasks, steps and such. You know what your life needs far better than I.

I can only tell you that my life needs a planner filled with goals broken down into steps and tasks. Desperately. My realization that my life needed this happened when I looked back over last year. My first thought was that the year sucke...wasn't great.

Now, I am not a big one for looking back at where I've been, but I learned a rather surprising lesson this past December and I thought I'd share it with you...I had the unfortunate luck of picking up some sick person's germs and came down with the flu the week before Christmas. Stayed home for two weeks as I did NOT want to share the crud with anyone else.

Here's the lesson I learned: I was judging the entire year on the last few weeks—and those weeks were memorable only for how truly horrible they were!

But the year wasn't horrible. Far from it! When I looked back over the blog and through Facebook, I saw the fun things I did, people I met, and the goals I accomplished. It was a good year!

IF I had kept a planner where I was tracking my goals and accomplishments as well as the challenges and obstacles I encountered along the way, I would have had a much more complete, balanced picture...and who knows, I might well save myself from having to repeat history if I'd kept better track of what I did and didn't do.

Regardless, I'll be keeping a planner this year as a place to work out the next steps for what I want to accomplish in 2016. It will also be a written record of those darn obstacles that seem to crop up from time to time.

I hope it will help me to fill in those unexpected free hours with something more meaningful than wandering around lost, wondering what I'd like to do. (I'm keeping a project list of current and future projects in the planner.)

And last but not least, I'm hoping to break myself of the very annoying habit of scribbling down notes, info, thoughts and ideas on the back of any handy piece of paper. If I put it all in one place, you'd think I'd be able to access it later, right?

With no more backs of envelopes, sticky notes or scraps of paper lying around and cluttering up my desk, perhaps next January the first thing on my to-do list won't be to clean my desk!

So what about you? Will you be keeping a planner or using some other system for tracking goals and accomplishments?

I wish each of you the very best for 2015 and hope to celebrate all the great things we accomplish along the way. 

Stay safe and we'll see you next year!

I do! Big time. You may have also heard it referred to as Shiny New Object Syndrome—you're distracted from whatever you're doing every time something new, shiny, different, fun, challenging, fill in the blank, comes along...and you're gone in pursuit. 

For the last two posts here at Painted Thoughts, (here and here) we've been talking about what we need, RIGHT NOW, today, to be our very best. Below is a continuation of the discussion of getting FOCUSED as that was the need most folks identified as needing today…

Useless Advice
When you start talking to many folks about needing focus, they'll tell you "just do it."

And yes, it can be that simple.

Except when it comes to the human psyche and then nothing is simple.

If you've reached the age where you're holding down a job, have kids, aging parents, a mortgage, ane juggling responsibilities, then you know that simple answers are seldom easy even if they're the right ones.

Along the same lines, you may also hear:

"You just need to prioritize." Well, yes, that helps, but when you have 10 pounds of "sugar" and a 5 pound bag, it doesn't matter how you prioritize it, it's not all going to fit! What goes into the back and what stays out? Do you find another bag? Where?

"You'll have time for [____] when you're older." Maybe, maybe not. What's wrong with feeding your soul now? Especially if it makes you a happier, more content version of you TODAY?

"Well, you just need to do [____] and [____]." Hmmm, when someone starts telling you what you need to do, look at their lives. Are they living their dream? Are they walking their talk? If not, feel free to disregard their comments.

You may wonder why I'll telling you all this. I'm sure you've heard some "wonderful" advice on how to "fix" whatever is "wrong" in your life.

I'm saying this for two reasons. First, there is no magic bullet that's going to "fix" everything not working in our lives. Be it lack of focus, time or direction. Finding answers is a process and processes take time. 

Second, you don't need "fixing." There's nothing "wrong with you." You're where you're suppose to be and you are good just the way you are. Recognize the different between "fix" and "improve."

I think many of us would find a whole lot more creativity in our lives if we would lose the ungodly expectations we have for ourselves of being "all that and more." We're humans not super-beings!

Okay, make that three reasons. Feel free to totally disregard any or all of this "advice" as bogus if it has no meaning for you.

Ideas, Tools and Tips
Breaking bad habits, learning to say no, giving ourselves permission, lowering our expectations, well, really all of the reasons for lack of FOCUS in the prior post and overcoming them, are a process. It takes time and patience. It takes finding what works in your life. And tools.

The following list of tools is by no means exhaustive. There are some creative people out there who have come up with great ways to get focused and stay focused. (Check the comments on the two previous posts for great book recommendations and ideas!) The list below are some of my time-tested techniques for getting on track and staying focused. Again, in no particular order:

The Brain Dump. This where I pour everything that's flying around in my brain onto a piece of paper or in a journal. It's like the inside of my head is an airport with no traffic controllers and it's absolute bedlam! Things like ideas, parts of ideas, projects, ah-ha moments, things I want to do, research, hang onto, and on and on. It can be a to-do list miles long. It can be all my gripes about a situation or my worries or whatever it is in my grey matter that is keeping me from focusing on what's important to me.

I write it down. Every bit of it. This can take a few days. I'll add to the list whenever I think of something. Then I begin to identify what I can/want to do about any items on the list. Then I try to determine an order in which to do them.

Then, rather than race off to start checking items off my list, I sit back and enjoy the quiet space I've just created in my mind. Please don't skip this step! It's important to savor the silence, to pause and recharge yourself before working your list.

Taking Action. Be it breaking a creating new habits, figuring out how to make a decision, learning that no is an answer or recreating expectations, there are steps you can take to make these things happen in your life. Brainstorm. Write down any and every way you can think of to move past the behavior that is no longer serving you. Some of your ideas will be be outrageous—include them anyway! They can provide comic relief as well as unexpected launching pads to better ideas.

Let the list sit a few days. Remember to reward yourself for taking this step of taking action! Then go back and identify what you think will work best, right now, TODAY. Write down each step (no matter how small) and post them in your journal, your calendar, in your medicine cabinet, the wall of your studio—somewhere you will see them on a regular basis (daily?) so that you don't forget them.

These are Action Steps. Make a smaller version and put it in your wallet so that you can pull it out and refer to it when you feel pressure building and your energy scattering.

Give yourself plenty of time and be patient. Hold yourself accountable to your list. If it helps, tell a close friend who "gets you" what you're doing. You may be surprised to learn they have similar challenges. Take note of forward progress and celebrate those small steps! Revisit the process each time you mark something as completed.

Involve Others. You may not know it, but I learn so very much from each of you! Sometimes, it simply that I'm not alone, but other times, you challenge me to be my best in ways I never could have anticipated. Sharing my challenges with you makes me own them and step up my game. If sharing your challenges on a blog with the world is not your cup of tea, reach out to a trusted friend or a fellow art buddy that you know and admire. It's great if you live in the same city, but email and Skype make the world a global village nowadays.

Discuss the challenges you face, be brutally honest with yourself and ask the other person to do the same. Provide the kind honesty in return. Hold each other accountable and get real with your challenges and how you intend to overcome them. Send the other person a copy of your list of Actionable Steps. Commit to making progress. Share successes and commiserate together over missteps. The artist's community is filled with warm-hearted, caring people. Reach out.

Be Honest With Yourself. Maybe you know why you don't or can't focus. Maybe you're hiding from failure. From success. From other things going on in your life. Maybe being unfocused has become a default position because it's a coping mechanism. We've all done it and we'll all probably do it again, but the key thing here is to be honest with yourself about what you're doing and why.

Then decide what you want more—to be focused or to continue to use lack of focus as a coping mechanism. No one has to know what you decide or why you're choosing a given direction, but you need to know and understand your actions by making conscious choices. Consider compromising with yourself. Try focusing on small, non-threatening projects that feed your artistic self now that won't overly tax your need to avoid focusing on the bigger picture.

Overcoming Distractions or Bargaining With Yourself. This one can be kinda fun, actually. If you fall in love with every new medium, art toy, idea, technique, or trend that comes down the internet, you're attention is scattered and you probably have a studio full of half-started projects and unused art supplies. Sound familiar? It sure does to me!

This is where I begin to bargain with myself. I'll see something new I want to try or buy and to get it, I have to complete another task first. Something like a new journal. That means I have to finish then old one first. New technique? I have to finish the last project first. My reward is the new ____________. It takes a while to get the hang of this one because who's to know if I do just one little page in that new journal with that fabulous paper?

Me.

You gotta hold yourself accountable! I use this bargaining tool as a way to finish projects, old journals and such so that I don't have quite as many UFO's in the studio. UFO = Un Finished Object. Can also be called clutter. Mind you, this only works well if you're ruthless in telling yourself "no!"

Staying Focused. When I switched from a corporate job to working for myself, my focus was no where to found. I wandered through my days with NO focus. It was crazy making. I tried calendars, schedules, both online and paper, but nothing seem to work. I tried morning pages too. Still no good. Eventually, I landed on a creativity log. Click here to read about it.

My rules were simple. I had to go into the studio every single day for at least 15 minutes and do something creative. Not read. Not clean. Not organize. Create. After 15 minutes, if I wasn't feeling it, I could leave. If I wasn't sure, I would stick around for another 15 minutes and then decide.

(Hint: Get a digital timer! It is amazing what we can get done in just 15 minutes and I'm not just talking artwork!)

After a while, it became a challenge to be able to completely fill in my creativity log. There's no reason why this idea could not be adapted to any goal you wish to pursue on a very regular basis. I assure you, it teaches you to focus and commitment!

Make A Small(ish) Decision. Can't decide what to be when you grow up? Can't decide what to do next? What to focus on? Any decision is better than NO decision with the possible exception of those that involve life-and-death possibilities. Creating rarely does. Make a decision and then honor yourself and your intentions by following through with it. Nothing big. Just little steps. Keep it simple, keep it small. Instead of committing to painting a full-sheet watercolor painting, shoot for a 5 x 7 inch painting.

Use whatever tools you need to ensure you do that, but do it.

Otherwise, you're lying to yourself and that leads to all kinds of disappointment. Decide on a length of time to focus on a new activity. If it's not working for you at the end of your timeframe, move onto the next.  If you're still digging it, keep going. Keep a running list of all those things you'd like to try. Those other things on the list will wait patiently for you.

Overcoming Fear. Fear comes in many different colors, sizes and appearances. It can be hard to see, harder to recognize. It holds us hostage and a favorite tool is causing chaos so it's impossible to focus. Recognize the fear first. Understand what the fear is about. Identify ways to move forward and take the first step past it. Then another step, and another. Keep taking small steps (don't forget to celebrate). Commit to yourself, your buddy, and or your journal that you are going to face the fear by going ahead with whatever it is that you want to do!

There may be a misstep or even three. No matter. Keep going. Keep doing. And for those of you facing a critic that won't sit down and be quiet, try silencing the critic. Read more here, here and here.

Get Out Of Your Story. We star in our very own stories. We all have a story about why we can't create, can't focus, can't find the time, can't, can't, can't. We tell ourselves and anyone who may ask. The problem becomes that we've told our story to ourselves and others so convincingly that we often begin to believe it wholeheartedly and we get stuck. We forget to check and see if the story is still true and relevant today. Why, we don't even recognize it as a story—just the truth!

The next time you hear yourself telling someone your tale of woe about why you "can't" do something, do a fact check and see if it's really true. (The word "can't" is usually a tip off.) If you have that trusted partner that's helping you bust some of your bad habits and holding you accountable. Ask them to listen for your "story" and to call you on it when you start using it as an excuse rather than a reason. It's amazing how liberating it can be to be set free from an old story!

Making Changes
With any kind of behavior change, it's so, so important to stay positive, stay strong, be gentle with yourself, forgive missteps, try new approaches, find a buddy, be honest, and know that you, in all of your fallibility and imperfection are beautiful just the way you are! Remember, we're not "fixing," we're improving.

If something isn't working. Change the approach! We're not tied to any approach. Try it on for size. Give it time to work. If it doesn't move on, but keep trying!

I feel your frustrations when it comes to finding and keeping FOCUS. I hope all of this is of help.

As always, if you have a resource, an idea, something that's been helpful to you or a way you've learned FOCUS, please share it in the comments below. There has been a wealth of great ideas shared on the last two posts!

P.S. And if you've made it this far, many thanks for reading these (too) long posts!!

Continued from this post. Scroll down to see the poll (now closed) and results.

Wow! You guys blow me away! Thank YOU for the great response to the poll and for sharing your thoughts in the comments. By far and away, it seems many of us are struggling with FOCUS.

I must admit, I'm surprised! When I look around at so much beautiful work, it doesn't seem like there's a FOCUS problem.

FOCUSING On The Cause
What is odd to me, is that when I found myself thinking about FOCUS, I realized I had always considered a lack of focus to be a condition of being an artist. After all, we're also blessed with an abundance of curiosity and that's just the way of things, right?

Maybe, maybe not.

Turns out that's the short view. There's any number of reasons for a lack of FOCUS.

There is no doubt that if we could ask everyone who voted for focus what their definition, their vision of FOCUS in their lives looked like, we'd get a lot of different answers.

But it seems to me to make sense to have a clear idea of what FOCUS would look like in our individual lives if we could snap our fingers and have it RIGHT NOW. So before we go any further, let's define FOCUS for ourselves. What does being focused look like for the VERY BEST YOU in your life RIGHT NOW?

Remember, this is not about what FOCUS will look like when all the laundry is done, the kids are all on their own being successful, the parents are healthy and happy, our health is great and we're rich as can be. This is about the Very Best You, Right Now, Today:


For me, right now, it would be to have a clear step-by-step plan of what to do first, what to do second, what to do third, kinda like building a piece of furniture. If you skip the fifth step, the blasted thing will wobble. I find myself wasting energy worrying about that potential missed step. 

So Many Ways To Be UNFOCUS
As I mulled over FOCUS this week, I started looking for causes for being out of focus or lacking focus. I found myself looking at being UNFOCUSED for some of the reasons and here's what I came up with (in no particular order):

• High Expectations. Also known as Trying To Do It ALL. Most of us are coping with jobs, kids, parents, health issues—our own and/or others, exercising, money worries, keeping a house and home operational, food on the table or at least in the pantry and clean clothes on our backs. And we want to be artists, too. In fact, we want to be brilliant artists! Expect much?! How do we even begin to decide what to focus on and is there any energy left at the end of the day to pursue a creative endeavor?
• Bad Habits. Perhaps we have never learned to focus our attention and so we're distracted by every bright and shiny thing that comes our way. (As a side note, there may also be a medical reason for this. Many adults suffer from some version of adult attention deficit. If you suspect this, please seek medical advice.)
• Diversionary. By not being focused, we don't have to worry about failure. Or success. Or dealing with feelings of inadequacy. Also, be careful of perfectionism with this one…it's insidious and will creep into places we never expect. Remember, perfectionism is all about using fear to keep us from trying. Our lack of focus may not even be related to our art. It may be something else in our lives that we're avoiding and the bleed-over effects our art.
• Exhaustion. Hmmm, I wonder why. If you wonder why, see "High Expectations" above. Exhaustion from high expectations and trying to do it all and be all things to all people is a focus-killer if ever there was one! This may also be related to "Not Saying 'No" below.
• Overwhelm. This is one of my personal favorites. I stand in one spot and turn round and round and round, getting nothing accomplished because I have no idea what to do first because there is soooo much to do! Ever happen to you? This is usually related to "Being Unable To Make A Decision" below.
• Not Saying "No." Every. Single. Time. We say "yes" to something, we are saying "no" to something else. Sometimes it's an unexpected opportunity (like a trip out of town with friends to a quaint little place the same weekend we were going to paint because our spouse was out of town and the kids were going to their grandparents). That's temporary and a conscious choice. What happens when we're saying yes to everything, all the time, with no filters? Even though we know it means we won't have time for what's important to us? Something has to give and it's usually our focus.
• Unable To Make A Decision. It decision time on what project to start or where to start on the project and we freeze. We're hesitant, unsure if it's the right decision. What if there's a better way or this isn't the right place to start? We're in a constant agony trying to decide where to go, what to do, how to do it, etc.
• Isolation. Many of us crave alone time. But too much of a good thing is still too much. By the very virtue of being an artist, much of our time is spent in our heads. Alone. That isolation can be solace or it can lead to a spiral that is nearly impossible to break. We lose focus and cannot seem to regain it. Another form of isolation is being around folks who have no grasp as to why it's important to us to paint, dream, dance, create, draw, stare into space or otherwise indulge in something they don't understand.
• Permission. This is a big one for a lot of women I know. Women struggle with taking time for themselves, to focus on their own interests. Society frowns upon this selfishness. And a lot of women are not able to grant themselves permission to take the time and resources they need to pursue their dreams.
• But I Don't Know What I Want To Be When I Grow Up. When you are seeking to find your niche, it's hard to stay focused. This calls to mind the words of David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, "You can do anything, but you can't do everything." How can we be focused if we don't know what we want to focus on? A conundrum for sure!
• Pain. Pain takes many forms and whether it is physical, mental or a combination, it's darn hard to move past it to focus on anything else. Illness is often temporary, but what if it's not? What hope do we have of focusing on creating when we're challenged by a chronic illness or limitation?

Whew! That's a lot and I'm sure the list is incomplete.

Getting A Handle On Our FOCUS Challenges
Do any of these resonate with you? Do you have another or different reason that's keeping you unfocused or at least contributing to the challenge of getting focused? Please share it in the comments below.

Knowing or at least having some idea as to the root cause gives us a compass reading on where we are.

In the next post (it will be published on Monday, January 20th), we'll discuss more about where we want to go and how we're going to get more FOCUS in our lives.

If you know someone who would benefit from this series on FOCUS, I would greatly appreciate it if you would share this series with them!

Awareness, Plain and Simple
I often get caught up in the hurry scurry of everyday living, only to look up and realize that 2 and a half months have flown by. I suspect a large number of you are the same.

Is this a good thing? Does this mean I'm living in the moment or does it mean that I'm living with too little awareness?

Probably the latter. Unfortunately.

It certainly says that I'm not living intentionally.

It brings to mind the old saying, "The days are long, the years are short."

I was recently lamenting this fact to someone and they asked, "What do you need today, RIGHT NOW, to be your very best?"

"Uh. Um. Ah. Yeah, let me get back to you on that," was my addled response.

"No," they pushed. "What do you need? You already know. Just say it."

The first thing I threw out was money. It's the easy answer. Who doesn't need or want more money? Wouldn't money make everything better?

But it wasn't the real answer, not really.

What I need most is knowledge. Organization is a very close second. Focus and inspiration follow and any one of those could top the list on any given day.

"So get it," was the response.

It Ain't That Easy
That was my immediate thought. It isn't that easy or I would have done it by now, dontcha think!?!

But as I began to mull over the idea, I came to some startling conclusions.

It can be that easy.

I know how to ask questions, I know how to read, research and study. In other words, I know how to gain knowledge.

But...it's not quick and that has been my stumbling block—I want to know what I need to know right now. RIGHT NOW.

Yeah, well, not happening.

I have been (as usual) standing in the way of my own progress.

Sigh.

How This Applies
As Katie said in the comments on the last post, she wants to live more intentionally this year. A good many of us would like to do that, judging by the feedback.

I would go so far as to say that it's not enough to intend on living a year aware/focused/intentionally.

What about the days? The hours? The minutes? How do we live those intentionally?

To think we could live them all intentionally is quite intimidating to me. Scares the mess out of me, actually.

Just like making a masterpiece out of each day, I don't think it's possible to do.

To be intentional every minute?

Count me out.

Instead, I would like to be clear on the intent of my actions and thoughts for the day, for a project, or for how I may approach a given situation. I think by approaching things in this manner, I can let those minutes take care of themselves.

How Does This Apply To You
If you're an creative individual faced with 356 days (or less) left in your 2014 journal, you may be wondering where to go, what to do, how to fill those pages.

I'm right there with you.

If you read this blog on a regular basis, I have to make the assumption that you're creative (even if you claim otherwise) and are involved in some type of creative pursuit.

I'd like to ask you the question "What do you need, RIGHT NOW, to be your very best?"

Not for the year, the month, or the week, but for right now. What do you need?

Doesn't seem quite so intimidating, does it?

I'd like you to take some time and think about your answer. Come back and fill in the poll when you know. You may already know. Go ahead and fill in the poll today.

You can only choose one answer.

WHAT DO YOU NEED, TODAY, TO BE YOUR VERY BEST?

I'd love for you to share your thoughts on what you've chosen down below in the comments, especially if you chose something else. My hope is that we can all learn from each other!

Stillman and Birn Zeta Journal with beautiful, WHITE, unblemished pages

What To Do, What Not To Do

Set goals! No, don't set goals.

Make a resolution! No. Wait, don't do that.

You don't need resolutions, you need a word of the year!

Or better yet, you need a system! Forget all those other things, you need…blah, blah, blah.

If you've been surfing the internet in recent days, I'm sure you must have run across lots of posts about setting goals, setting resolutions, NOT setting resolutions and choosing a word or words for the year. Or not.

It's a bit of a conundrum.

My thoughts on the process—do what works for you.

That's what I'm gonna do.

I already set goals so that's not anything big.

I can't say as I set resolutions only because I don't get the big deal. I'm either gonna do it or I'm not. Fanfare won't make it happen.

Systems? Now, a system is something I can get my head around because that's something that sustains me and what I want to accomplish throughout the year, but I'm not so sure I need a system on January 1st.

Word of the year? I had the word "bold" choose me way back in '09.

It still hasn't turned me loose.

So I'm thinking maybe I don't need a new word but more time with the old one?

While I don't have much to say about the do's and don'ts, must do's and must nots, I can say this: without some kind of goals, resolutions, systems or words, I am very likely to wind up where I started.

And for me, that's simply not acceptable.

When I look back, I want to see progress of some sort. I want to see a better version of myself and if it takes setting goals, making resolutions, choosing words and creating a system, well then, that's what I'll do.

Looking back at last year…well, let's just say it was not a good year. I had a measly 29 posts on the blog for crying out loud. When I look at my sketchbooks, I still have a lot of white pages to fill.

I didn't take any trips or do any traveling at all.

Instead, it was a year of recovery, of healing deep wounds and figuring out what would be coming next.

Where To From Here?

Now, I could beat myself up over the last year's dismal output or I can congratulate myself for surviving and coming out stronger.

What do you think I'm going to do?

For me, 2014 is like a spanking, brand new journal with 365 days (pages) of pristine, beautiful, unblemished white pages…and regardless of whether it is intentional or not, I'll leave marks on each of those days.

Some days, I'll like the marks I make. If I'm lucky, I might even love them. Others days, not so much, but those marks will always be there. All I can shoot for is to do my best.

But the coolest thing, regardless of whether it's a good day or not, I get to (hopefully) turn the page and start anew!

I have a saying on the wall in my studio that says, "Make each day a masterpiece." That's a pretty tall order to achieve and it's beyond me to accomplish that. It brings unbearable pressure to even think that's possible.

What isn't beyond me is to bring my best to each day. I can start out each day with the intention of making the day masterpiece. And if it isn't, I can just turn the page and begin again.

Some days, it just ain't gonna happen! But for those days that it does—score!

A Fool Or An Optimist?

They say hope blooms eternal and I am a living, breathing example of the thought.

At times, I wonder if I'm a fool or an optimist, but it really doesn't matter because come this time of year, I'm like a little kid all excited about the possibilities of the new year! What might I make happen?! What opportunities are going to present themselves?! What fun people am I going to meet?! What new friends might I make?!

Doesn't that sound delicious?!

And really, I wouldn't have it any other way.

What do you do at this time of year? Goals, resolutions, systems, words or something else?

Whatever you may choose (goals, resolutions, words or something else), I wish you the very best wishes for a fantastically creative 2014!!

Walking in the mall shortly after the new year, I saw this sign in a store window.

It pretty much sums up the way I feel about 2012. I will own it.

So why am I just now posting about word-of-the-year, goals and such....on February 1st?

Well, if you read the blog, you know 2011 ended on a sad note and 2012 started on a sad, worried note.

“The days are long, but 

the years short. ”

Since time has continued its relentless march forward, I find that I need/want/must go with it.

A Glance Back

Looking back at 2011, I can say the year was truly a year of challenge. Highest highs, lowest lows, outrageously good times and unable-to-breathe scary. I am pleased to have survived as well as by all that I accomplished.

Finally, as I face 2012, to go farther, higher and deeper.

When I look forward, I see new challenges to take on and overcome, new highs to aspire to, new delights to celebrate, accomplishments to revel in, new places to see and new friendships to build.

The Speed of Forward

I am learning there are many speeds to forward. My plan had been to hit 2012 with the throttle open as wide as it would go. The Universe had other plans, plans to slow me down. Way down.

I fought it for a while. A fruitless activity and a waste of energy. I've settled down now into a much slow pace forward. I'm getting a lot of behind the scenes stuff done that if I were traveling at full throttle, wouldn't get done properly nor with the detail it needs.

I won't say I don't rail against the current speed. I do. I hear a soft chuckle in the nether regions of my mind. Perhaps a whisper that says "all in good time, child, all in good time."

A Wise Word

My word last year was move and boy, did I! I moved my body (exercise), I started the move of my business to a totally different host, set up, web site and more, I went to NOLA and had a blast! I moved my mind and myself past obstacles, challenges, and sadness.

What word could I possibly choose to guide me, ground me, be an advocate, and otherwise remind me to enjoy every minute of every day as much as possible?

That's a pretty tall order for one word.

At the very end of last year, I was trying on bodacious and audacious as my watchwords for 2012.

Then the sadness came along with some other obstacles. The slowing down I could do nothing about.

And I didn't feel audacious or bodacious anymore.....still, I wanted a word that would remind me of the present moment, to celebrate the accomplishments of the moment, to savor life in the moment while also keeping my eye on moving forward.

In the end, I chose two words, revel and best.

I chose revel to help me to enjoy every minute of the day as much as possible. Even set backs, slow downs, obstacles and challenges. They're often gifts. We just have to change our perspective sometimes to recognize the value they bring. I chose the word to remind me to revel in small things as well as big and to celebrate them rather than rushing to the next challenge, obstacle, or task.

Inspired by KJ's gentle wisdom over at Catching Happiness, I decided to choose a second word. When I settled on best, it was so I would ask myself the necessary questions so that I would stay aware of the choices, decisions, energy and resources I put into any situation....is this the best decision I can make? [Make it and move on.]

Is this the best thing for me to be eating right now? [No, put the donut down and go get an apple.]

Does this situation require my very best or is good enough okay? [Good enough is okay. Put the extra energy towards the next challenge.]

Own It

I believe revel and best will help me to own 2012 and to make it mine. There will be missteps, obstacles, failures, struggles, fear, celebration, joy, tears of sadness and happiness.

With any luck at all, when I look back over 2012, I'll be able to say that not only did I own it, I made it count. I made it a good one.

A Bonus

(Congratulations if you made it this far! I know this is a ridiculously long post and I promise to be more brief in the future!)

One of the things I did way back at the beginning of 2011 was to write a few sentences down using my word of the year move. These sentences were written as if it were already the end of the year and I was writing an overview in December of all my accomplishments. Some examples follow:

• I really moved forward with the business by changing the way I deliver the class material.
• Moving my body has really helped me to move towards better health.
• I finally get to move around and visit different parts of the country with Imaginary Trips Made Real!

I also wrote a few that didn't happen and that's okay. These did! By writing out these sentences using my WOTY, I was setting intentions, putting myself and the Universe on notice that I had things to do, places to be, people to meet!

I was just recently introduced to a new tool called futureme.org. It is a tool that allows you to write a letter to yourself and then have it delivered on whatever date in the future you want. You can even add a photo if you so choose. You can make it anonymous and public or keep it private.

The Challenge

So here is my challenge to each of you to help make 2012 your best year yet is to write a letter to yourself as if it were December 2012. Talk about all the things you accomplished, all the goals you met, the challenges you overcame. Set a powerful intention to yourself NOW.

The letter will help you to see what you accomplished in the 11 months to come.

Perhaps you'll want to send more frequent letters (I have mine set for the seasons' solstice).

Here's to our year. 2012. Let's own it—together!

And I've already fallen off the "resolutions/goals" wagon! LOL! That didn't take long, now did it?!

Watercolor Pineapple Journal Roughly 5 x 1.5 inches

"Oh well. Guess I can throw in the towel and go sit on the couch now. Things that might have been, well, guess it won't be happenin' this year. Tough luck."

You know what that sounds like to me? Perfectionism...if I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all.

As a recovering perfectionist, I've heard this mantra in my mind all too often. I still have those tendencies and I suspect I always will. In moments inattention or fear (like when I'm thinking about doing something new for the first time), I really have to watch my "mind language" so that I don't slip down that slippery slope and become paralyzed with fear.

So if you're like me and have taken the tumble early, welcome to the imperfect side of life! Feel free to be yourself, to love you for all that you are—warts, fun, mistakes, successes, follies and all things that make you, YOU! Kick your shoes off and stay a while! It's a whole lot more fun over here than it ever was over there on the perfect side of things.

I haven't been in the studio much these last few days. The "Love Grows" piece is part of a journal page in the Pineapple Journal that I'll be sharing more about in the next few days (hopefully). (Here's a hint...it has to do with classes!) Once I move through the "business" stuff in the next few days, I'll be back to posting more regularly. And who knows, maybe some info about the new class schedule!

Whether you've already fallen off the "wagon" or you're still on track, I hope you're having a phenomenal week!

I've been working on my end-of-year review and before I started it, I was a bit....disappointed in the year. I had expected fireworks, fanfare, parades, and all manner of festivities. After all, the last half of 2009 had been filled with all of that and more. I'm not sure what made me think it would be more of the same, but I did.

As I did my review I found (to my surprise and amazement) that I had accomplished far more than I realized:

• Studio overhaul including new floors, closet doors, trim, and total re-org of supplies
• Six brand new classes
• New video camera and sound equipment
• New Recording Studio
• Re-videoing of three existing classes
• Three pieces of original art sold
• Art published in an Artist Journals book by Kate Johnson
• Imaginary Trips' first tradeshow
• Business Trip to New Orleans

And these are just some of the accomplishments. There was a lot of un-inspiring, but oh, so, necessary processes and systems being created and finessed in the background to give my life and classes structure. Changes in vendors and products that made things run more smoothly.

Looking at the list, I wondered why I had considered the year a disappointment.....I had failed to do monthly reviews. I used to do weekly reviews and when that got to be a bit much, I switched to monthly. Apparently I switched those off as well because I didn't even realize I'd let those slide. Oops.

As thrilled as I am with what I accomplished, I also recognized some areas where I really dropped the ball. Mainly in painting for competitions and shows. I had allowed Imaginary Trips to eclipse everything. Part of this was the learning curve we go through with any new adventure and part of it was (is) time management. Or lack thereof.

As I said in yesterday's post, I'm going to ask for your help in keeping me on task. Creating a time management system that allows me to teach classes AS WELL AS paint outside of classes is the first goal I will be tackling in 2011. I am also committing to painting a minimum of 4 competition paintings in 2011. Preferably one per quarter. The paintings will be larger than a half sheet of watercolor paper up to a full sheet. I intend to post updates of the paintings in progress on the blog.

How can you help? Ask me how the painting is going. Ask when you're going to get to see an update. In other words, hold me to my goal! My s-t-r-e-t-c-h goal is 6 competition paintings in 2011. I know with all the sketch paintings I do in classes, my speed has improved tremendously. Will I get in six? There's only one way to find out!

The other thing I've done is set up an electronic reminder in my calendar to remind me about doing a month end review EACH month so that I have a better grasp on what's being accomplished and what's sliding. Keeping my finger on the pulse of my life is an absolute necessity for me to accomplish all my grand dreams for 2011!

Now, what about you? Did you do a year end review? What about a word-of-the-year review? Any goals set for 2011 yet? Talk to me! Tell me!

P.S. Note the title of this post...I do believe in doing a year-end review, but I'm not going to worry about lost energy, time or opportunities. Instead, I'm putting my focus on the days to come.

It's that time of year, again...we're gonna get off the couch, lose weight, get organized, see our kids/parents/family/friends more, clean out the garage/basement/bedroom, go to church more, go to the park more, work less, work harder, play more, play harder, enjoy nature more and on and on and on.

If you're like me, you sit down at this time of year and come up with a whole list of things you want to accomplish in the next twelve months. You don't call them resolutions because everyone knows that doesn't work! But do you go any further? Do you break down your goals into achievable steps that you can check off?

And do you include artistic goals? Drawing better, stronger color, incorporating more value, keeping a sketch book? How do you break those goals down? Do you create specific goals and attached a timeframe to each step? Sound too complicated? Read on!

Let's say I want to draw better (and I do!)...I begin by brainstorming all the ways I can think of that might help me to develop my drawing skills, both fun and serious. There's nothing too wild or grandiose at this point, I scribble EVERY idea down at this stage: sketch every day, take a class, get books from the library, apprentice myself to my idol artist, get involved with a sketching/art group, teach a class to children, find a sketching buddy to hold me accountable, draw with a child on a regular basis, join an online sketching group/challenge, buy myself a box of crayons, tell the blogosphere about my goal (eek!) and ask them to hold me accountable.

Once I've exhausted my ideas, I read back through to see what's immediately accessible and what's not possible at this time. Then I break down my chosen ideas into steps. Let's say I want to join a sketching group or find a buddy....I can send out an email to local artists and ask if there's already a group or if anyone would be interested in creating one. I can ask any local artist friends what their goals are and find out if we might have the similar goals. Maybe they want to paint plein air and I want to draw—that could work!

That might take up a good chunk of January because once I've located friend(s), we'll have to decide where to go and when. So maybe it's February before we get out on location...what are my goals for sketching on location? Do I want to focus on landscapes or cityscapes, inside or out? Maybe the weather dictates inside—for now. Do I want to use pencil, charcoal, pastels, keep it black and white or add color? These can all become sub-goals to learning to draw better.

But what if I don't find anyone who shares my goals and interests? Do I stop and go pick another goal? Or do I create a plan to carry on by myself? Maybe I look to the library for some drawing books and then pick a day each month to go to the park/coffee shop/mall/woods to sketch by myself.

Setting goals and (gasp!) resolutions is just the beginning of the process. Without the brainstorming and setting of baby steps for each step of the way with a timeframe attached, most goals will hit the skids in short order. Writing down the steps and attaching timeframes is a huge help in achieving goals. Since life has a way of happening despite our best plans, we have to build in some flexibility as well.

So here's the deal.....I'm going to challenge each of you to set at least one artistic goal for 2011, brainstorm ways to accomplish these goals and then outline a plan—on your blog! Don't have a blog? Post 'em in the comments below! BTW, hang on to that piece of paper with all the ideas on it—if you easily accomplish your goal or hit a road block, some of those other ideas can come in handy.

In addition to setting a goal, I encourage you to make it two part goal with the second part being a s-t-r-e-t-c-h goal....perhaps you're going to paint a minimum of 12 landscapes all year long because you have trouble with landscapes. Challenge yourself to paint at least one landscape painting to submit to a (gulp!) juried art show or to give as a gift or to have framed for your home! And then do it.

Stretch goals are meant to take us out of our comfort zones. Their job is to push us beyond what we normally do so that we find out what we're capable of rather than what we *think* we can do. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised. I know I often am when I reach for a stretch goal. Even if I don't succeed at the specified task, I've succeeded just because I gave it a shot and I got out of my comfort zone!

I'll be sharing more about my year's accomplishments and what I'm dreaming up for 2011. I'm going to ask for your help in keeping me on task as I've not done so well on some of my goals this past year.

So how about you? Do you want to join me in accomplishing our artistic goals in 2011?! If you're joining in, post a comment so we can find your goals on your blog or post your goals below!

Watercolor Sketch from an Imaginary Visit Through Autumn 2010 5" x 5"

For some reason it always seems like Autumn starts in November. Perhaps it's because I live in Florida and that's usually when we begin to see a change in the weather. The humidity drops and a few trees begin to shed their leaves. Our big Maple trees are dropping their leaves early, without the usual color change. I think because of the drought we're in.

We had about a dozen trick-or-treaters last night. They're one of my highlights of the year as you never know what they'll say. One young gentleman was covered with "wounds"—gashes in his shirt and "blood" everywhere. When I commented that it look like he'd been beaten up, he informed me, "No, it's fake blood!"

Who knew?!! ;•)

Another young man (a psycho football player with an evil clown face) was quite pleased to see that I was going to drop a couple of Kit Kat bars in his bag. "Oooooooohhhhhh, I love Kit Kats!!!" he exclaimed. I heard him inform his Mom, "She gave me Kit Kats!!" Funny how something so simple can bring such pleasure.....a lesson in there for the rest of us?!

Two months to go before we close the books on 2010....I find myself looking at my goals, assessing the year, looking at whether I still have anything left that I need to focus in on and put some effort towards. How about you? Has your year shaped up as you envisioned in January?

Are you pleased with what you've accomplished and where you are, or are you like me and need to regroup and apply yourself to a couple of areas?

Now's the time!