Resolutions

Well, Christmas is over and the whole New Year's Resolution thing is now on everyone's mind....I received gym memberships, discounts offers on storage and organizational materials, and even an open solicitation to change my life or suffer the consequences warning in my mailbox today.... My Christmas tree is still up in my living room and already I am being told by the powers that be (living in my mailbox churning out these things don't you know) that I am slacking and am behind and in need of some "do-it-yourself" quick fix solution...... I guess I shouldn't mention that I love Christmas lights and I tend to leave them up in random parts of the house all year long....tsk tsk tsk.

Get organized, learn something new, lose weight, pay off whatever, visit a new place, get a new job, finish that scrapbook, make time to create..... what is it about this time of year that compels us to wishful think and set lofty goals that we tend to break shortly after the were conceived?

What if we collectively resolve not to resolve for the sake of putting together a resolution? You know, make no promises to do anything in a fancy list but rather, just do them without any declaration or pomp or circumstance- create commitments on a daily basis as a process of self-evaluation not some yearly ritual. I think having goals and ambitions are something we all need and that yes, they should be written down lest we forget them however, to make some arbitrary list out of guilt or because the rest of the "herd" is doing and New Year's Day is the day to do it mentality, is pure poppycock. Every morning (not just the first day of the year) we should get out of bed with a set determination to do something amazing and worthwhile, to approach each choice and decision we have knowing that there are consequences- if we eat that jelly filled, sugar coated lovely on the table, we will have a wonderful dimpled whatever to show for it..... if we chose to spend our money on things that clutter our studios and aren't a "need" we may indeed have debt that we'll pay for later on..... if we do not set aside time for ourselves to be inspired and to create, our muse may just dry up and our colorful and vibrant world may end up an all too familiar shade of drab. As this year draws to a close, I have been thinking about the amazing things I have been a part of (things I could have never dreamed up or imagined on my welcome to 2007 list....) and I am excited about what 2008 will bring. My hope is that, as the year draws to a close, you will set a time to re-evaluate the things that worked for you as an artist this year and how to improve upon them not because this is the time of year folks tend to do this but, because in your core, you want to do something incredible and take your art, your business, your whatever it is, to the next level.