You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.Mae West
It’s time to put my fat hand bound Art Journal to rest, find a home for it in the book shelf and move on. It has a ribbon closure and it is thick with art. Much as is the way of this year in just a few hours. Time to reflect back and plan ahead. To re-read posts like:
* How to End a Year in a reflective mood
* How to Start a New Year in a Creative Way
It’s time to look back on pages filled, colors mixed and palettes used. Time to print the DIY Calendar Pages and look through the upcoming weeks. Read through blog posts to compile a new List of Achievements for myself. And to sip some tea (oh well, maybe some Champagne tonight) and look through the pages of this year. Because of my 365-project I have been Art Journaling less frequently than usual this year. Even when you work on fun projects something else has to go, a lesson to remember, even though I can not blame everything on the 365 like I tried in my organizational post. I have been busy with a lot of things this year. Life stuff, writing articles for work, blogging, doing Week in the Life and working on photo books. I have been creating the layouts of two issues of the Embroidery Guild’s member magazine, and assembling a 20th anniversary book called Broderade berättelser (printed this spring) for the Guild not least. Right now most of my own embroideries are in a group exhibition at the City Hall, and I haven’t written a word about that either.
But let’s get back to Art Journaling for a while.
What I have enjoyed a lot this year is art journaling away from my desk, and outdoor creating this summer. In 2014 I am going to combine that habit with traveling, because I long to see something new and visit new places!
I have been a bit scattered with my journals this year. Doing square spiral bound art journals, hand bound ones, inspiration books, mini journals and also keeping a separate writing diary. I enjoy the diversity but I also feel divided. I will try to keep it together a bit more in 2014. I want to do more still life drawing, of items around the house. I think that will be my plan for January. To draw a little more, and to paint a lot too. Maybe make a journal that is filled only with watercolor papers, not the already painted papers I’ve been using quite a bit these days. I long for the white page. What a perfect longing for the last day of the year.
Let’s make the new year a blank page, a page that we can fill with what ever colours, patterns and ideas we want to!
One little word
Today finally, I came up with my word for next year. It came to me when I was writing in my diary and it was rather obvious what I want more of, what I need to work on and what will help me the most next week. My one little word is: willpower. I will write about that more soon. What is your word? Your creative plan?
Where is your List of Achievements? These are mine, from previous years:
List of Creative Achievements 2012
List of Creative Achievements 2011
iHanna’s List of Creative Achievements 2010
Goodbye to you dear 2013. Welcome in awesome new 2014!
I wish you with all my heart a Happy New Glorious Creative Year!
xoxo
/iHanna
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