Every year I decorate my drawing desk with a small tree and a Christmas reindeer friend. :]
2025 seems to be quickly coming to a close. When I first sat down to draft this blog, it was the end of October - then November passed, and now we are only a few days away from Christmas. Like many others, I like to take this time to look back at things – check in with goals and progress; and consider my best path forward into the next year.
For this year, my only goal was to make more art. The intention behind the resolution wasn’t to increase the quantity compared to the previous year, rather, it was to simply continue producing artworks. The demands of life and my busy schedule in recent years have made consistency a mega-challenge for me. I hoped this goal would be encouraging in its intention and forgiving with its simplicity.
So how did I do?
Things had a strong start despite a mild case of artist block. I focused on small (5 x 7 inch) portrait illustrations on a homemade watercolour block. I found the small canvas size allowed me to more easily work with the few ideas I was able to conjure up at that time. Working with simple pretty girl portraits allowed me to discover how colour alone can be utilized to add interest and dimension into an otherwise plain artwork. Small works can still take some time for me to complete, but I kept at them and was even able to produce some YouTube videos and shorts.
Around June, things mega-slowed down for my art production. I halted all my own artworks to focus on a personal piece for a friend of mine. This artwork was essentially a memorial gift, and it severely brought out the perfection monster in me. I agonized over this work for a solid month and even went through a few restarts of it. In the end, I wasn’t 100% satisfied with it and really felt as if I were just throwing in the towel to hand something in. My friend loved the piece and instantly was touched by its meaning and thoughtfulness but coming away from that was difficult for me. My confidence was heavily overshadowed by doubt, and the progress I had been making with my goal felt like the road bending back on my path forward.
Afterwards, I tried sketching myself out of another bought of creative drought. The results were not great. Most of my drawings were what I call trash sketches. Drawings that are lower in skill than doodles – mostly just the exercise of moving a pencil on paper. Sometimes trash sketches can help unlock ideas or concepts, so even though the naming sounds harsh they can be highly beneficial. I did not find this round of trash sketches to be particularly helpful though. Still, I persisted and was able to start a new 5 x 7 illustration that is currently the active-ish work-in-progress on my desk.
I refer to the progress as active-ish because I haven’t been prioritizing the painting over other things going on in life. Being an artist isn’t always working on art every day, but I wish I could learn to say no to things or sideline other tasks in favour of working on art pieces. As I consider goals and resolutions for the coming year, prioritizing my art is a heavy contender for that list.
No buy resolution
Less of a goal and more of a resolution was my attempt at a No Buy Challenge. I challenged myself to not buy art supplies for the duration of 2025. So far, it has been successful! Even though creation slowed down, I was still tempted by sales and curiosity. Quality gouaches, acrylic markers, and ceramics are just a few things on my short list of wants. I remained strong though and stuck to window shopping only. Aside from a few coveted materials, making use of what I have has been very satisfying.
Remaining steadfast with the challenge has led me to shift my perspective on what is means to be wasteful. Quality art supplies are often very expensive for the tiniest amounts. I would save up and buy these precious items but be too afraid to use them. After going through my studio and taking stock of my materials I found many of my expensive supplies dried up and gone bad my shelves waiting for me to find the confidence to try them. I believe the No Buy Challenge has helped with this by forcing me to use materials regardless of how confident I feel about my skill with them.
Learning to slow down
Under the surface, this year was all about shedding the negative pressures of pursuing an art career in this current stage of my life. I have been on this journey for the better part of 14 years with many stumbles and a few tribulations along the way. I don’t believe the path I walk is typical for most chasing art dreams, and it certainly has not been the easiest. However, it is my path to walk. I still have a few years before I can give my career the attention and focus it requires, so I am slowly learning to be content with small steps of progress for now.