A New Year a New Start.

We all have big dreams for the upcoming year. You want to find your dream job. Build new and better portfolio. Get into an art gallery. Create more art. Try out a new technique. Attend more conventions or festivals. Sell more art. Form better habits. Get rid of bad habits. The list goes on and on.

We tend to make these large resolutions for ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact we need a few large goals to aim for. It’s just we shouldn’t forget about the small ones too. The small building blocks is what makes up the larger goals.

My large goals for the year:

1) Further my art career through practice, creating art, marketing and organizing myself.

2) Become more financially stable through selling my art and services.

3) Get rid of bad habits by forming better ones.

These are some pretty hefty goals that I know will take time to accomplish. There will also be plenty of obstacles and change in plans. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time setting up substantial goals for yourself. I’m looking at my goals and my head is already thinking about the little steps that’ll bring me closer to realizing these goals.

My three simple resolutions for you (and myself):

1) Drink a glass of water when you wake up.

2) Floss your teeth every day.

3) Think about one good thing that happened today.

None of these are art related but they do pertain to my well-being which in turns affects my art. Let me explain why I chose these three.

Your body needs water. When you wake up your body has not had water all night. Drinking an 8 oz glass of water in the morning will replenish you. You also feel better when your body hydrated. By drinking more water throughout the day you are less likely to feel tired and have better focus.

Floss your teeth. Your parents were right. Your dentist is right. Flossing your teeth prevents numerous diseases. Not just in your mouth, but the rest of your body. Liver, kidney and cardio diseases have been linked to gum diseases. Keeping your gums healthy will help you in the long run.

Think happy thoughts. Having and trying to keep a positive outlook on your life helps you both mentally and physically. Your mental state does affect the rest of your body. If you live a negative stressful life, chances are your body is taking toll from it. There are plenty of reasons why you should think happy thoughts every day. Trust me, if you think about one good thing that happened to you today you’ll feel better about the day and yourself.

Taking care of yourself with these simple tasks will make your life better. You may not see it now or even within the week. But in the long run, you will see the results. I think the majority of us are in for the long haul. So in anytime is a good time to start taking better care of ourselves. Then it’s easier to tackle the larger goals.

Follow Along

As you read this, I’m laying out a road map, checking off the supplies I’ll need and making sure my compass is pointed in the right direction. I’ll talk about designing a flexible plan for your art career in later posts.

For now let’s dream big with our resolutions whether they’re lifestyle changes, breaking bad habits or even just taking better care of yourself. No doubt we’ll break them in the future. The thing to remember is: “It’s not how many times you fall down, it’s how many times you get back up that counts.”

I have one last goal for myself and it is to share my journey as an artist with you all. By creating this blog, I’ll be able to share my advice and techniques along with process shots and videos. I’m hoping you’ll enjoy my posts and be inspired to create your own art. And maybe even learn a little bit from my experiences.

I encourage you to follow me along with my journey while you travel yours. You can subscribe to my blog and updates by email.

What are your new year’s resolutions this year? Both small and large. Make a list for yourself then sort it into 2-3 categories on the level of difficulties to accomplish them. Share them below I would love to hear from you.