Studio Journal 1 : A good start for 2023
Hello there!
Happy New Year to you!..(if you are reading this in real-time)
This is the first post for a new section in my blog section called "Studio Journal", to track my progress in the studio.
Let me subtly place a little disclaimer here; this post might sound a bit clichè and haughtè, but bear with me for a while. I sincerely hope this blog post will be helpful to those who are trying to build an art practice and have no freaking idea where to start.
I suggest you look into yourself for the answers.
Also, it has to be said that I stumbled upon some good resources about how to ask yourself the right questions. To set a good perspective about your art and business. This helped to set up goals and systems for my art.
When 2023 rolled around, it got me pondering over these questions:
How do I want my art practice to continue?
What interests me at the moment?
Which aspects do I enjoy the most?
I started the whole ordeal about 5 years ago (got all jacked up one day and launched an Instagram page). Little did I know that I would still be building on it. I only got more interested in developing my craft. Something has changed about the way I approach my art and it made me more mature. A little setback or an ugly painting doesn't throw me off as much as it used to.
Watercolour practice session
My art practice has become more than a hobby now. I am glad I reached this point, but this change was slow. Painfully slow. Time and time again, I come across the simple truth about looking into yourself for the answers. And I think I have found it this time.
Please, don't get me wrong. I don't have a 5-year plan or 10-year plan for my art career. No.
But I have some idea about how the year 2023 should/would look to me. And when 2024 is around the corner, what I will be ready for. The clarity is slowly coming.
Surprisingly, the place where I got a lot of suggestions for my new year, was actually from my past year. Doing a sort of audit of my past year gave me a general idea about where I am heading. I also noticed what I enjoyed doing the most, what worked for me, and what didn't.
A page from my sketchbook
Previous year’s accomplishments
In 2022, my key accomplishments were:
I successfully completed two art challenges.
Filled up two sketchbooks and overcame the sketchbook anxiety
Received and completed 9 house portrait commissions.
Signed up for FYJ 2022 (This is an online course run by a UK artist Louise Fletcher)
Finally mustered the courage to take a break from work to do full-time painting (also to take a break from work)
Look, when I say accomplishments I mean that these were some of the important pivot points for me. I am proud of myself for doing them. And I had a really good feeling after I finished them. I do not suggest that this is something everyone should be aiming for. Take note of what interests you, and leave the rest.
A Commissioned House Portrait
Plans for the Year 2023
This year I want to keep doing the following things:
The very thing you are reading right now. More blog posts this year, because writing about my art keeps me grounded and gives me a good understanding of my journey.
Explore a lot. Try different mediums and processes. Like the spaghetti analogy, throw a bunch onto the wall and see what sticks.
Keep up the sketchbook practice. Complete two or more this year.
Be more active on social media. Instead of disposing of it, I want to see it as an opportunity to share my work/process and meet other amazing artists.
Take up space. Use more materials and be less precious about my work. I believe that's the only way to learn and move my work forward.
More importantly, I give myself permission to play. I dedicate this whole year to exploration. Let’s see how that goes!
What is coming, is better than what’s gone. Agree?
