My Studio Notes blog started on January 19, 2016 with my first post titled Very Relaxed. In many ways, it seems like it was not so long ago. I truly had no idea what I was asking of myself to write an article every week. It was oftentimes very hard and time consuming. Writing is not something that comes naturally to me. I am rather a reserved person and sharing some of my deepest thoughts can still be challenging. But seeing that people continue to read them and find something helpful in them is a constant motivator to keep it up. 

When I read some of my old posts, I feel like the message is still the same. Start a creative practice and begin a journey of self-knowledge, growth and ultimately self-care. 

I find it easy to get overwhelmed by big goals you want to accomplish when you're wrapping up your last year and looking forward to the upcoming year. My strategy this year is to use a weekly process flow to keep me on track. So I set up a weekly template in Evernote to visualize all the moving parts. It helps me to know what I want to accomplish every day. 

Over the past two years, I have found that over time, I vacillate between intricate series with many colors and complicated designs and minimalist series with minimal color palette and more sedate designs. This is a common human trait to start looking for the “other” and search out new experiences but only to repeat patterns from the past. We all have seen this happen with fashion (still waiting for the 1940’s style to come back again), music (Indie California style country rock), architecture (Bauhaus minimalism) and design (Mid-century modern). My seemingly random selection of series has the same markings of a pendulum swinging back and forth.

My family and I drove out of Florida in the early morning a few weeks ago. When I looked out the car window over the swampy area, there was a thick blanket of fog. The palm tree tops were still visible. Most of the surrounding scenery was clear except this small pocket of fog. It made me think about what foggy mindsets do I have in my life. What is blocking my vision? What can interfere with clarity of thought? Things like overwhelm or procrastination come to my mind. 

For the past two weeks, I have not made a daily square. In a way, it was a nice break from the routine.  But honestly, I just missed it. Even though it felt awkward to not be creating every day, I plan to take a break over the holidays every year though for two reasons. First, it helps to have a focused time to not only look for inspiration for the next year but develop themes I want to pursue. Second, taking a break from making daily squares helps me appreciate the practice of daily creating. I will admit sometimes I don't want to make a square if life is just busy that day. This happens very rarely. Mostly because I have realized that usually walking into my studio is the perfect way of pushing that mental reset button. But when I may feel some resistance to the work, now I can remember that feeling of absence. Like something was missing from my day. Absence can make the heart grow fonder, I guess...

When you look at your creative life through the lens of a year, it can make you more productive and more consistent. Consider a Creative Calendar...