This past year was a wild one, everyone knows that. It wasn’t exactly the worst or hardest year I’ve ever experienced – our family has been through much tougher stuff. However this was unique in that it was a difficult, strange, and overwhelming year for EVERYONE to different degrees. The collective anxiety and tension over a global pandemic, racial tensions, and the worst election year in history took it’s toll on everyone. And social media made everything 100 times worse! The year was uncomfortable and we were all faced with a lot of uncertainty, loss of loved ones and the freedoms we are used to, and some faced much worse than our family.
I could write a ton about this past year and things I learned – maybe I will at some point, maybe not. But what I want to focus on is this next year. No, I do not believe 2021 is all of a sudden going to be a magical turning point and the world will bet better because of a Covid vaccine and a new president. I put little faith in things like that. But I felt like with the unknowns of last year and the feeling that everything came to a stand still, I lost control of so much. I do recognize it was just a perception and that I hadn’t actually lost control of most of what I control. So as 2021 begins and I’m taking a fresh look at life and where I want to go with it, I’m setting some clear intentions on the things I want to accomplish in 2021. I may be biting off more than I can chew, but I’d rather reach for the stars and land on the moon, right?
So here goes:
- 20 minutes daily minimum of intentional movement: workout, or walk/hike, or yoga.
- Take my first solo personal trip. I’ve travelled solo for work and to visit a friend, but never by myself for pleasure. I’ve got a cute little retro RV booked just outside of Phoenix, countdown less than two weeks from now! Slight snag – my drivers license expired on my birthday and now I am waiting on a copy of my birth certificate so I can renew, so hopefully I can get it all done in time to board a plane and that I don’t chicken out!
- Take at least 1 backpacking trip (check out my first experience backpacking South Colony Lakes in Colorado ). I don’t plan to do this solo yet, haha.
- Summit at least 1 fourteener
- Take the family on a big overland camping trip to Utah
- Get a couple local overland weekend camping trips in on the other side of Missouri and northwest Arkansas
- Expand my art exposure/sales: Exhibit at one gallery or group gallery show, exhibit at 3 live art fairs/events, host 3 live social media sales events
- Rebrand my website/social media. I don’t even want to tackle this but need to desperately. I really want my brand to encompass both my art and my outdoor adventures.
- Launch an Etsy shop
- Launch Youtube channel to showcase time lapse art, tutorials, product reviews, etc.
- Launch two digital classes: pet portrait painting class and abstract art for stress relief
I don’t know how much of this I’ll be able to accomplish – I haven’t even calculated the vacation days needed to do the travel goals, and I still need time to make original art, paint pet portraits, and the usual life responsibilities of momming/adulthood while also working full time at Hallmark. But…I like having these goals written down to refer to as the year goes on and focus on if other things start feeling out of my control. I know these things help keep me balanced and inspired and living my best life, and stating intentions makes them more than just dreams. I’ve decided what I want to be when I grow up and realized that I already am: an artist that travels and gets inspiration from nature. So as the great Yoda says – do or do not, there is no try. Happy New Year!
