NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

This week's blog was written by mosaic jewelry artist June Martin of MOTH & TWIG.

It’s that time of the year again. A brand new shiny year means brand new shiny New Year’s resolutions. A blank slate! I once took a poll of my friends to see who partook in this yearly ritual. To my surprise, not many of friends like to create yearly resolutions. The reasons vary from “I can’t be bothered” to “Why would I set myself up for disappointment if I don’t follow through on my resolutions?” I read somewhere that less than 10% of resolutions are kept by year’s end and there is a failure rate of 25% by the end of January. Yikes! Even though I’m equipped with this information, I still enjoy creating resolutions.
 
This year I thought I would create New Year’s resolutions related to my art. My 2019 mantra is to work smarter, not harder. In order to do this, I need a plan which is where resolutions come into play. Also, by putting my resolutions out there to the world so to speak, perhaps I’ll be more likely to stick to them.

In no particular order…

• Learn new skills. In addition to being a member of Artistic Portland, I am also a vendor at Portland Saturday Market. I don’t work the market during January and February since it is closed so this is the perfect time to learn/hone skills that I can implement into my mosaic jewelry line. I have been planning for this time off for a while and will be starting on this endeavor in a week, after my studio is re-vamped, which brings me to my next resolution.

• Organize my studio and keep it that way! I have already started on this resolution. As I write this blog, my studio looks as though it was involved in a catastrophic event. I have a difficult time creating in chaos so this just won’t do! Christmas was a busy time which is why my studio is in complete disarray. I drew up a scheme of my studio and have a plan so I am on my way to having my dream studio become a reality, with a little help from my trusty husband.

Hubby hard at work in my studio when we first moved to Portland.

• Schedule art sessions 4 days a week. I have artist friends who don’t like to schedule time to work on their art because they feel it hampers their creativity. I can understand this, however, since I show at the market weekly, I need to create almost daily. I have found that even if I’m not feeling terribly creative on any given day, once I’m in my studio and faced with all the amazing and fun materials I get to work with, it’s easy to get creative juices flowing.

• Exercise 3 days a week. Ok, this may not seem related to art, but for me it is. Being fit equals to being more productive and creative. My mind feels clearer and my imagination improves when I incorporate regular exercise into my life. For many years I was an exercise fanatic, partly because I didn’t own a car, so I used my bike to get around. I cycled five days a week to and from my workplace which was a total of 100+ miles per week. I also went to the gym faithfully five days per week. I was ridiculously fit. In those years I was also very active in improvisational theater. My mentor drummed into my head that our bodies are our instruments so staying in shape was important to the art. Though I’m not seeking to duplicate my old regimen, I do need to spend more time exercising. I belong to a gym that has a 93-degree salt water pool. This makes going to the gym easier because the pool has become my treat after a workout. 

• Focus on inspirations. For some reason, this has been a little difficult for me. Though I have been creating pieces here and there from my inspirations, I haven’t created entire lines. I want to create a mosaic art jewelry line that is inspired from my many trips to Costa Rica. I will probably call the line “The Colors of Costa Rica.” I envision oranges, reds, vibrant and lush greens, along with a palette of rich and textured neutrals. Exciting!

• Balance. Life balance has been sorely lacking for me this past year. I feel fortunate (and humbled) that my art was well received over the past year but this was at a cost. Simply put, I’m exhausted (work smarter, not harder!). This is where increasing exercise will be helpful but I also need to make more time for friends and family. I moved up to Portland from the Bay Area to be closer to my son yet I don’t see him nearly enough which is my fault. He’s been asking to work with me in my studio as he wants to learn some of what I do. How great would that be?! 

My son Evan discovering the torch!

​I created small actionable steps for each resolution to help me get and stay on track as this is the only way I will be able to achieve my goals. It’s all about knowing myself and knowing how I work (play). I’m excited to get started! I love blank slates, especially ones that are 365 days long! Are you an artist? Have you created resolutions? Feel free to share them in the comments section!
 
Happy New Year!