Shifting how I think about what I am doing

Sometime in early January, I declared 2019 “the year Amy finally asks for what she wants.”

This has been a mental shift from thinking “this is fine” to asking myself “what do I really want and what steps do I need to take to get there.”

Going from reaction to active participation

This was a subtle shift from feeling like I was in a constant state of reaction, to one of active participation. Instead of generally being okay with things that are just good or just fine, looking for ways to improve, grow, challenge myself, seek out opportunities to improve and further my career. I’m making this thought process a conscious part of my day to day life. Instead of looking back on this year and wishing I had done more, I am spending time every day so that when I’m reflecting on 2019, I can think to myself that I worked my butt off and passionately pursued what was important to me throughout the year. 

What I've done to act on that

As a result, I’ve applied to more shows in the first two months of this year than I did in all of 2018. I’ve sent out more emails to my email list. I am learning more about how to take high-quality photos with my DSLR and edit them with Lightroom because I want to be proud of the photos I take of my art and not just let them be “good enough.” I’m acting on ideas that I’ve had in my head for a bit but never put in the time or energy to bring them to life. Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for my first embroidery pattern and in March the launch of the Fiber Features section on my blog. Both of these ideas have been at the back of my mind and I’ve decided it was time I finally did something about them.

Some of my goals include...

I want to show my art in more places - that doesn’t mean a gallery specifically, but out of my studio and out into the world. I want to sell more wall hangings this year and take more custom orders. I want to continue to grow my social media presence and grow my email list. I want to improve my own work systems and make them more efficient and automatic so I’ve started investing time in prewriting some emails for my email list so that if you want to join my email list, you will actually be greeted with a thoughtful series of emails telling you more about my work, about me, and about my creative process. Each morning I’m focusing on starting my day with a centering practice in which I stretch, meditate, reflect on how I feel about the day and what actions are most important, sketch, and then do targeted wrist stretches to manage the tendonitis I’ve developed from this creative career I’ve chosen.

Those are just my goals for this year. In the next few years, I would like to continue to increase the number of wall hangings I create while also expanding that style into other materials. Working in materials that can withstand the elements and branching out in public art has been a goal of mine since 2015 so I am planning on starting the process of material testing this year.

Before you go

So in the spirit of asking for what I want, I would love it if you pinned this post, emailed it to a friend, or signed up for my newsletter.

Then, tell me in the comments something about yourself and a step you’ve taken towards a goal you set for yourself! And remember, ask yourself not only what you want, but what do you need to get there - and then take those steps!

Kindly,

Amy