Writing My 2019 Artist Goals

 It's that time again.

I have been stalling on this one.  It seems like a huge project.  Once I get started, I feel more excited.  Maybe it seems daunting but in reality, it's such a good thing.  I have a folder labeled "GOALS" which is where I keep my art goals from previous years.  2015.  That's the year I made my first list of art goals.  Each year, I make a list of art related goals I haven't reached yet.  The list contains some of what I didn't finish the year before and more that I can imagine past those goals.  Some items on the list are easily done.  Others will take serious effort and time.  A few will require me to find others to give me some assistance.  Last year, I posted Writing My Artist Goals.  I have 5 simple tips to share if you're interested in writing your own artist goals.  Here's how I go about the process to create my own list.

1.  Reflect back on where I have been.

It's time again.  While I avoid it, it's not so bad.  Looking over the previous year's goals, thinking about how much I was able to do, is very satisfying.  I feel a sense of accomplishment.  I didn't let art go.  I kept this commitment to my creative self.  There's so much to distract and reroute life.  So many different directions that my attention is drawn...so many responsibilities.

It would be natural to become sidetracked with other interests.  Years ago, my art room was close to being like a ghost town...you know, the photos of interiors where there's an inch of dust on every surface, cobwebs create a veil of gray, and a sadness at the way furniture has fallen apart unused.  This room is attached to the back of our house.  It's by walking from the kitchen, through my art room, out the back door that we get to the garage and backyard.  At times, I was slightly grieved with each pass through this room to leave the house.  I felt an inward struggle, knowing I needed to put other people and responsibilities first, but still missing my artist self.

I found that I enjoyed looking back over my 2018 art goals.  As I was reading through each one, I checked off those that were completed.  I examined the goals not completed and then chose whether that goal should be carried over to 2019.  Maybe some goals weren't as important in the grand scheme of things.  If I felt a remaining desire to try again, that one is a keeper.

2.  Remember my commitment to my art.

When I began writing my art goals in 2015, it was like a personal declaration that art is important.  Art is important to me.  For many years I had let everything else be more important.  My creative self felt like it was starving or worse yet...dying.  I craved that energy flowing through my mind to the paper, becoming a watercolor work of art.  That was the year when I decided to never let art be crowded out again.

Creating my own art is important to me.  I am committed to keeping art as a priority in my own life.  My artist experience changes with the ebb and flow of life.  Sometimes, I have several full days to dedicate to my art.  Most often, it's fitting art into the free slots of time...maybe an hour before I have to go in another direction.  Like a woven fabric, the threads of art are constantly varied from a few to many all depending on what my personal life requires of me.

3.  Get it in writing.

I don't read my yearly goals daily.  They aren't anything fancy or professional looking.  My goals are handwritten on a sheet of plain white paper.  Somehow, just by writing them, they are more imprinted on my subconscious mind.  If I write it on the paper, it's important to me.  As I imagine where I want to take my artist self from the present, that's what I list as a goal.  I go all out with smaller and larger goals.  Admitting I want that big goal fuels my confidence and courage to go for it.  These goals are written for me...to remind myself where I am headed with creating art.

4.  All the goals matter.

I pick some big goals and some small goals.  My question to myself is this, "what is important to me with my art in 2019?"  My art priorities are varied so that there are some very satisfying goals that don't take much time.  If the big goals cannot be met because life takes an unexpected turn, I have some comfort.  I keep remembering there are ways I can achieve goals with limited time and energy.  If a big goal is not met in 2019, I will carry it over to 2020.  No judgement.  No guilt.  I just keep pressing on.

5.  Post my goals

There's a spot at the top of my bulletin board which I reserve for this list.  With a thumb tack pressed through the sheet of paper, this list is my declaration for this year.  Now that I have these aspirations on paper, they don't belong in a notebook or a file folder.  The goals become a part of my art room and a reminder of why I am showing up to make more artwork.  I post it there to remind me I am moving forward toward the things that matter to the artist in me.

5 Simple Tips For Writing Your Art Goals:

1.  Reflect back on where you have been. 

Remember back to the beginning, when you decided to make art a priority.  How far have you come already?  Are you excited to see the changes that have taken place?  Feel good about that.  Soak it up.

2.  Remember your commitment to your art.

Why are you creating art?  Why is it important to you?  Do you feel like your creative self is starving?  Do you feel like art is your therapy?  What does it look like for you to give more time and energy to creative pursuits?

3.  Get it in writing.

Don't make it complicated.  Nothing fancy here.  Take a sheet of paper and a pen.  Write down your list of what would be the possible outcomes.  When you imagine yourself being more creatively fulfilled, what are you doing?  You write them down for your own declaration to yourself, giving you purpose and drive and hope.

4.  All the goals matter.

These are your goals.  If it matters to you, it matters.  Don't spend any energy downplaying your goals; none are insignificant.  If you'd like to take a class, write it down.  If you'd like to watch YouTube videos about a specific medium or technique, write it down.  Be daring and adventurous without hesitation.

5.  Post your goals.

Now that your art goals are written down on paper, it's time to hang them up on a wall or bulletin board.  Take a photo and make it the wallpaper on your phone.  Keep a copy in your planner or sketch book.  This is a declaration of intent and a place to begin.  Be excited.  Be proud.  Your creative spirit that is hungry for making art is coming alive again.

Wrapping up for today...

Do me a big favor...if you wouldn't mind, will you leave a comment with one of your own art goals?  Are you going to take on this challenge and write your own goals for art?  Is this a habit you have already taken on?  How has it worked for you?

One of the best things about writing this blog is meeting other creative people.  We share this energy to learn more about pursuing art.  It's an amazing way to connect with others.

Thank you for dropping in and sharing some of your time here.  I ramble on and wonder whether anyone is out there that might relate with what I share.  It's like my artist journal.  These are my thoughts and inspirations.  I hope it inspires you.

Life will soon change as I return to nannying for six months.  I'll be in and out of my art room but less frequently.  Time will be more precious and my posts will be brief.  I will attempt to bring some simple yet creative updates.  Shorter posts are still a challenge for me.  I will be checking in to read comments and answer questions.

Christy

She must make art.

December in the Art Studio

My Art Practice is Flourishing!

It's been a few months since I posted to share

my newest artwork.  So much watercolor action

has been happening and there's more than I can

share in a single post.  This is a quick highlight

to show a few of my most recent landscapes and

florals.  My art room has had some major improvements

with the addition of two more work tables.  I love

having so much flat work space now.  I can paint at one

table, flatten artworks at another, and mat and frame at

the third table.  I have been able to host a few art studio

workshops as well. 

In the past several months, I have felt my creative spirit coming alive more than ever.  I feel freer and braver than before.  The energy to create another painting from a loved landscape view is building with each new work.  My technique is less tight.  My manner is relaxed and fluid.  I come to the art table with a purpose of playing for 15 minutes to loosen up and relax before I begin anything serious.  I do not go directly into a painting already in progress.  I wait.  I first warm up my creativity.  Maybe because I have this mental idea in mind to warm up, the warm ups themselves are fun and lovely, too.

Today, I am sharing just a few of the recent watercolors that are now soon to be available for purchase.  There are many more but I need to get back to painting so this is a preview of more to come.  One of my 2019 goals will be a website.  I am working through my list of tasks to make that a reality.  If there is something here that you would like more information about, please email me at christysheeler.artist@gmail.com.  I am happy to send an invoice through Paypal or Square.  Shipping costs are additional.

Summer Blessings 4"x6" 2018 

Wandering Above Cave Mountain
5"x7" 2018

Sunday Afternoon Drive 5"x7" 2018 SOLD
Soft Spray of Running Eagle Falls 5"x7"
Refreshed at Two Medicine 5"x7"

Spring at the Farm 4"x6" (left)
Backyard Beauties 5"x7"
Soft Spray of Running Eagle Falls 5"x7"

A glimpse of recent watercolors from 2018.

Landscapes, Sunflowers, and Birds 2018

Winter and Summer Landscapes 2018

A few watercolors on display in my art room/studio 2018.

Thank you, as always, for stopping by to visit me here.  I appreciate that you would give up a few minutes to see what is happening in my artist world.  It's wonderful to create with my watercolors and even better that I am able to share with art lovers as well.

Christy

She must make art.

Hollyhocks Blooming on Paper

I've got an attraction to hollyhocks and it started quite a while ago.  Years ago...before I was a mom...I painted with a group of artists.  It seems like another lifetime, really.  On one of our artist get-togethers, we met at Pat's place.  With art supplies and lawn chairs, we scouted out our subject for the day.  We sat out in the sun, sketching and painting while we visited together.

The subject was an old house on the property...with hollyhocks in the front garden.  Unexpectedly, I found delight in painting the hollyhocks.  They weren't detailed but more of a suggestion, their form and creating them was so fluid.  They were more effortless than I imagined they could be.  This was a nice change from my need to be so detailed and exact.  Turns out, this has been a theme in my creative time...letting go of exact.

Reflecting on days spent with artist friends.

This very painting now hangs in my art studio and it's dear to me.  A little house with so much charm that's been maintained and cared for...like a little bit of quaint beauty that takes the viewer back to a different time.  There was so much about it that I loved, which is how I hope it is described it on paper.  A lovely day with artist friends, captured here, has a lot of sentiment attached.
Do you see the hollyhocks all loose and fresh as they welcome you onto the front porch?

I was just walking along, minding my own business.

Fast forward quite a number of years to summer of 2015.  I was walking down our alley and there are reseeded hollyhocks in all shades of pink.  They just grow untended along the backside of a storage shed.  I remember how the view affected me.  The tall stalks and blossoms against the weathered wood out building with full sun.  I quickly retraced my steps back home to grab a camera because this was perfect art reference material!

Undeniably, I am an artist.  It's a crazy process.

I have been able to find more time and energy for my love of watercolor.  The art studio is no longer an abandoned place without life.  My life, in my mind, is described in seasons tied together with whether I was able to spend time with watercolor painting.  Does that sound crazy?  I was created with this deep desire to create and watercolors just hit the target like no other medium.  When I must place it further down on my priorities list, I feel it deeply.

I have been all over the place with several different subjects.  Hollyhocks, a black beach on Maui, and several mountain landscape views.  The hollyhocks keep drawing me back to study them, capture them with paint one more time.  There's been joy mixed with frustration.  In certain moments, I was tempted to toss the current one aside and call it unsalvageable.  Sometimes, I would rather start again than keep making more effort on the same painting.  It's hard to say which is the wiser option.  I've learned that it's worth pushing through and seeing what another hour's effort will do.  Undeniably, I am an artist.  It's a crazy process.

I am trying to communicate through my brush what my mind wants to communicate.

In a frustrated state, I'll state out loud to no one in particular, "I guess that flower does NOT want to be in this painting?!"  And I regroup.  I rethink where I would like to go with this effort.  It happens.  It happens often.  With time I have gotten over thinking this isn't supposed to happen.  I can shrug it off and start again more flexibly than my younger self would have done.

Sometimes I'm just loving where the brushstrokes are moving and mixing on the paper.  Other times, I'm wondering what just happened and how should I move forward next.

Artists may work in a way that appears to be easy.  From an onlooker's point of view, the artist may seem to do it so well that we suppose they never struggle in the process.  That's just not true.  If it were, we'd probably find the art process very boring.  I don't think the level of skill matters...artists will continue to strive for improvement in their skill.  Artists want to develop and grow and capture more.  Artists have an intense need to communicate what captivates them better than they did in the past.

I've been working on Yupo synthetic surface and watercolor paper both.  I'll share my results with you.  There are pockets of joy in the results.  There are areas of struggle.  Petals and shadows that I didn't fully capture to my satisfaction.  I didn't describe it all in the way it affected me.  I'm growing in my ability to change up the composition and the forms.

Something exciting is happening.

These next artworks show something changing...I am not sketching at all.  I am letting myself have freedom from being so married to the art reference photo.  Get the music playing, spray down the palette and then I explore the emotion these flowers draw out.  Their shape, the space they fill, the colors created by sunlight and shadow.  What is a pink blossom in the sunlight?  What is it in the areas of shadow?  What type of yellow green captures the leaves and stalks?  Add some water for a bloom and then some spatter of color.

The learning comes in the doing.

If you are itching to pick up a brush and have a go with the watercolors, do it.  Go.  Don't hesitate.  You'll find a joy in the movement of pigment across the paper.  There are so many opportunities for learning now.  Order a book.  Watch a YouTube video.  You will fight fear and hesitation.  The learning comes in the doing.  The doing brings a peace and relaxation.  It's a therapy.  You will grow and understand it a bit at a time.  You'll never master it.  That's okay.  You'll be excited and challenged and alive.

What subject or art medium has hooked you so strongly?  What have you felt you must try creating one more time?  What do you desire to capture on paper, on canvas, or in clay?


-Christy

She must make art.

Lessons in Loose and Less Controlled

Letting Go

It's been a while but I'm here today and I've got some new watercolors in progress.  Because my art time is so limited now, the most recent projects are different.  I tend to work very tight, controlled and detailed when I paint.  Stepping out of my usual habits is forcing me to grow as an artist.  (The one here on far left is described more further on below.)  Can you relate with the struggle, working more tight and detail-focused in your own artwork?  Along the way, some tips on challenging yourself to be more loose with the brush and working less controlled in your own artwork.


The two paintings below are watercolors on Yupo surface.  It's not paper.  It's a plastic surface for watermedia or mixed media.  It takes some time and patience to work with in my experience.  With practice, it's been easier to adapt my strokes for a better result.  I enjoy working with this surface very much even though I've been so tight in my style for a long time.  The genius of this surface is it can all be rinsed and wiped away for a fresh new start.  The first landscape is done with a reference photo and the second landscape is just a fun imaginative journey.

Can you relate with the struggle, working more tight and detail-focused in your own artwork?  

In this post, 10 Tips for Working Loose and Less Controlled.

I have followed Angela Fehr's work for a while on Facebook and love her YouTube videos for learning to relax and enjoy the watercolor medium.  Her work is so lovely.  She has online courses so I signed up for a free course on her website.  I'll link it here: Watercolor Jumpstart with Angela Fehr  

I wanted to keep myself painting even when my schedule is working against me.  She has such a positive way with explaining and she's easy to follow when she teaches.  I would say that if you are curious about taking lessons...go check out her courses.  You will enjoy yourself and she can take you from basics to advanced skills.

Here is the beginning stage of my project following along with her instruction.  This was my first time completely soaking my paper before beginning the first layer of color.  I loved this and enjoyed the time in my art room very much!  It's a mystery what will come of it and that's the fun of it.  The second photo below is further on in next stages...once the first layer of watercolor was dry.

This is the second project done with the online course.  She provides the art reference photos and they can be downloaded onto a pc or other device.  I had the photos downloaded onto my tablet so I could see them at my art table.  

The third of my works done through her online course is below.  This was an exercise in negative painting which is painting around an object to reveal its shape.  I was familiar with the technique but not excited to use it often.  It's a challenge to be sure!  She shares quite a few tips for making the negative painting process not so overwhelming.  

This is the one I've chosen to revisit today but it didn't go very well.  If I'd seen this photo (taken over a month ago) while working on it today, I'd be much happier.  I faced two major problems.  The first, I couldn't remember which photograph I'd used for this project.  I searched and guessed it to be a similar photograph to the one showing below.  The second problem, I think I turned the painting upside down.  Ugh.  See, the work doesn't always go as originally hoped for in my art room, too.  I can scrap it altogether or I can see what can be done now.  Maybe this is the time to try washing it all off?  I'm not sure what I'll decide to do at this point.  

The two photos below were taken after my painting time today.  I see that I chose the wrong photograph but right subject.  The watercolor paper should have been spun around but it could work as it is now.  Tough decision.  Not sure what I'll decide to do now.

Today's warm up session was a quick landscape on Yupo surface.  It's done loosely with pale colors.  I used an art reference photo taken just a few weeks ago.  I don't love this one but I'm showing it anyway because you might think I turn out nothing but work that I love in the end.  It's so much more pale than my usual work.  It's an exercise in branching out for color scheme and less vibrant.  It's also on Yupo...so I will probably wash it all away and try again.  Love that about Yupo!

 It's been more productive in the art room for March, April and May in 2018.  Spring of 2017, I wasn't painting much at all.  I've been checking back to answer comments here as well as email.  If you've got questions, don't hesitate to contact me.  I'll get back to you as soon as I am able, usually 5-7 days.  Sheesh!  It's June now!  The days just fly by now.

10 Tips for Painting Loose and Less Controlled

1.  Block out the need to have an artwork for mat and frame.  Nobody has time for that pressure!

2.  Take 10-15 minutes to play on a smaller scrap of paper.  No expectations.  

      Warm up your mind and subconscious for creative energy to flow better.

3.  Try a new way of starting...like soaking the paper.  Be adventurous!

4.  Have an open mind about supplies and tools and techniques.  What would happen if...?

5.  Watch a painting tutorial that inspires you and then GO DO it yourself.                               

      YouTube is full of great videos that cost nothing.

6.  Be more aware of your self talk.  It's not just you thinking, "oh, what should I do now," 

       or "well, that didn't work the way I wanted," and "what should I do about this area?"  

       There are unsure moments in the process.  If it's really got me rattled, I lay it aside 

        and take a break (15 minutes) or I pick up another work in progress to get 

         my mind off of it for a while.

7.  This is hard work to move out of our comfort zone.  Don't expect it to come easily or quickly.        

      This retrains the brain, the eye, the hand, and the creative process.  Learning takes a lot of energy.

8.  Give yourself a bit of flexibility to be creative.  Set aside the art reference photo 

       and ask yourself how you want to paint this.  Take a glance now and then if it helps 

       relieve anxiety of needing direction.  Ask yourself how YOU want to paint this.  

       No one will see that photo.  It will not sit beside your painting.  It doesn't have to 

       match what the photo shows for accuracy. 

9.  Find a way to not stress over the supplies you're using.  We don't want to be adventurous 

       because this paper cost a pretty penny!  Paint on both sides of the paper.  Use it up.  

       Try washing the painting off...I'm going to try this soon.  Don't use cheaper paper.  

       Quality paper 140 lb. or 300 lb. is where you need to be.  I push myself to use only 300 lb. paper 

        now and it took years for me to get to that point.  YUPO!  Yupo is amazing.  

        It's a bit more money but you can really wash away all the paint and start again.  

        Rinsing it off in the sink will not damage it at all.  Stains?  Magic eraser.

10.  Do it all again.  Go back and remember the new methods.  Write yourself some reminders.  

        Repetition and reminders help us keep the new way of thinking and creating for the long term.

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!  Be sure to leave a hello in the comments.  You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.  I'm most actively posting on Instagram these days because it's so quick and easy.


-Christy

She must make art.

Writing My Artist Goals: 2018!

Let's talk about goals.

While moving about the art room, my eye spots a simple sheet of paper.  At the top, it's titled 2015 Christy Sheeler Artist.  To anyone else, it might be just another list.  It is my list of art goals for 2015.  I quickly read over the list and feel amazed at what I was able to accomplish in that one year's time.  

So then I turn my head and see another list.  It's pinned to the bulletin board on the wall.  It's title:  2016 GOALS for Christy Sheeler Artist.  You caught that...not 2017.  There were no artist goals for 2017.  Well, 2018 needs some goals! The process and result will give me something to work toward for myself, the artist.

Let's get this process started!

Defining a goal

According to Merriam-Webster, goal can be defined as the end toward which effort is directed.

Synonyms for goal include: aim, ambition, aspiration, design, dream, idea, ideal, intent, intention, mark, meaning, object, objective, plan, point, pretension, purpose, target

Inspiration for Goal Writing

Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which me must fervently believe, and upon which me must vigorously act.  There is no other route to success.

-Pablo Picasso

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

-C.S. Lewis

Outstanding people have one thing in common:  An absolute sense of mission.

-Zig Ziglar

Why write down yearly goals?

I need direction.  I am easily distracted.  It begins with one task which turns into switching to another task.  "Oh, I need to put this away."  "Where did that list go?"  And months can go by without remembering to figure out how to learn a new social media platform...Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook...  I need more structure; organization that helps me function better.  Having a list of lofty plans and major milestones has made it possible for me to go after the hard things.

Something I read a few years ago really gave me a serious nudge to be serious about being more intentional with my goals.  Artist Habits of Mind-A Great Planning Tool for 2014 written by Rob Levit (title is linked) gives the challenges to

"engage and persist...make a list of what you'd like to accomplish in 2014-personally and professionally.  What opportunity would provide the greatest reward-financially or in terms of professional satisfaction-if you engaged and persisted in its accomplishment?"

Coming Soon: 5 Steps - Watercolor Mixing Grid

Hey there!  I'm just so glad you stopped in today.  I want to welcome you to She Must Make Art.  I am Christy, an artist and lover of creating in all kinds of ways.  I enjoy sharing my own journey in making and loving art.  While life has thrown me a few curves and I'm not making art as often, I am here no matter what.

There's a new blog post in progress and I've got my plan for a tutorial describing my method for mixing watercolors and creating a color mixing grid.

The tutorial is written and edited so now it's time for brushes to do their job.  This is a tutorial that needs new photos taken as I create a mixing chart just for the purpose of showing my methods to you.  Once the photos are taken, edited and added...you'll be able to see something brand new.  Here.  From me.  Christy.  The artist.

So for now I'm just giving you a bit of inspiration for the next blog post.  Here are the photos taken as I prepared and began to paint cherry blossoms in watercolor last spring.  This was one of the most recent artworks completed before life changed in such a big way.  I'll share the progression of several watercolor paintings focused on cherry blossoms in a future blog post.  Can you see how I was just in the creating-watercolor-happiness-zone?  I really was!

While the background is soft and pale, the layers of watercolor wash begin in a gradual process.  The watercolor mixing grid helps me stay focused as I work through the artwork.  

Okay, well now I must be off to get the watercolor pigments on the grid.  I am excited to share it when it's finished!  Thanks for giving me the time to share and come hang out again soon!

-Christy
She Must Make Art.