New Year, Same Me, New Goals

Happy New Year! I know some of you are rolling your eyes and saying it’s too late to say Happy New Year we are more than half way through January. That’s fair, but It’s the first post on my blog this year so I’m saying it.

So it’s a new year which means it’s time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t for last year and set some new goals for the year. I personally don’t like to make a resolution for the year. I prefer to set smaller more attainable goals all year. For me, that’s the best way to make real progress.

Artistic Goal for January – Draw or paint everyday.

This may seem easy for an artist, but it can be easy to get distracted. It can also be overwhelming to feel like you need a finished piece of art or art that you can use to sell. The goal is to just practice and create for fun. There is no pressure, just make some marks on the page.

What if you just have no ideas? On days when I have know idea where to start, I do warm up exercises. I practice circles, lines, and 3 dimensional shapes. I fill up the page with each these and sometimes that is it. Other times just doing warm ups can spark an idea. Another way to get in some practice when you don’t know where to start is jumping on instagram and looking for a DTIYS or any other drawing challenge. Drawing challenges like DTIYS are great because you are given the subject and usually colors, all you have to do it draw it how you want to see it. It’s also a great way to connect with other artists.

So far so good on this goal. I didn’t start until January 4th so I’m keeping up the drawing or painting going until February 4th. This is going to be a goal that I set for the month of February too.

Goals Outside of Art

Another goal I’m setting for February is to get back into my yoga practice. I LOVE yoga! It keeps my mind calm. I find that when I have a regular yoga practice, I am way more present and motivated. I just feel better all around. Over the holidays I totally fell off. So for February, I want to do yoga at least 3 times a week. I’m going to aim for every other day, but a minimum of a couple sun salutations in the morning 3 times a week is totally attainable. I love to find 30 day yoga challenges. My favorite that I constantly go back to is 30 Days of Yoga for a Calm Mind by Eliz Fitness on Amazon Prime. I just love her teaching style.

What if you don’t meet your goal? What are the consequences?

If you don’t meet a goal, or miss a day or whatever, it’s okay. Just start again the next day. There is no failure. Be kind to yourself. If it is something that you keep missing, then it’s a good time to reflect on why. Are you trying to force something that you are just not excited about? Is it something that is just not important for you to make time for?

Don’t force it. Do what excites you.

What goals or resolutions do you have set for the month or year? How to do you make sure you stay on track?