Three Steps to a More Fulfilling Year of Art

'Early to Rise'           12 x18       pastel      ©Karen Margulis
available $165 

It is that time of year. Time for setting goals and making New Years resolutions. I do it in some form or another every year. I start with good intentions and plans to stay organized and be productive. But life has a way of throwing curve balls. It isn't easy to stick to a plan and I have decided that maybe that isn't a bad thing after all. It is too easy to get stressed and frustrated when the plan goes astray. It sometimes takes the joy out of creating....too much pressure to stick to the plan can interfere with creating meaningful, heartfelt art.

This year I will try a different approach. Instead of setting goals and resolutions I will work at developing good habits. Good habits that will allow me time to create and share without stress or pressure. I am taking three steps to get my 'Year of Art' off to a good start.

4x4 study

Step One:  Get completely Organized. I already did this and it feels wonderful. I spent the entire month of December going over every square inch of my studio spaces. Supplies are organized and labeled. Everything has a place and I am proud to say there are no 'junk boxes'. For too long I had merely tidied up my space leading to lots of unnecessary clutter. The clutter was bogging me down. I have a bright uncluttered space that is begging me to come create.

Spend some quality time uncluttering and organizing your art space. It will be so liberating. If you don't have a dedicated art space.....see what you can do to make room for a little place for you to create.

Step Two:  Decide on Good Habits to cultivate. Make a list of all of the good habits you have and wish to have. They can be both art and non-art related. Now pick ONE habit to work on for the month of January. All too often we set too many goals and resolutions at one time and it is overwhelming. Working on one habit at a time allows the habit to become a part of our daily life. It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit so a month is plenty of time to turn an action into a habit. Next month add another habit to work on.....slow and steady wins the race!

Step Three:  Decide on a reward for working on your good habits. I will discuss this idea in more depth in upcoming posts but having something to look forward to will help you  keep plugging away at your habit. What will motivate you to get into the studio to paint more often....or to work on your blog or to get more involved in an art community (or whatever habit you wish to cultivate) ? Choose a reward to motivate you!

Tomorrow I will share some of the art habits I plan to cultivate in 2016. My non-plan is to have good habits that will naturally lead to growth as both an artist and teacher. No pressure....just fun!