I’m not the type to mourn and complain about how a certain year(s) was terrible.

Mainly because I think it devalues an entire year’s worth of experiences and that’s not healthy, mentally. I would certainly say that in 2021 I realized that I was surrounding myself with negativity and that it was affecting my self-esteem and feelings of self-worth…But aside from that, there were some bright pinpoints of light the past two years and I’m focusing on those in this post.

2020 Review:

• January – finished painting the outlet covers for nursery (Studio Ghibli/Totoro-themed), I wanted to add an artistic touch to my son’s room
• February – Saw Birds of Prey in theaters (the last theater visit for a while) and discovered some excellent music in the process
• March – birth of my long-awaited miracle child and the onset of the new World we’re all living in right now
• April – went back to work from maternity leave…
• June – over extended myself in trying to care for my infant, work full time, while stressing out about attempting Junicorn, a challenge on Instagram where you draw a unicorn every day…Mental break.
• August – Completed a monthly challenge for the 1^st time in my life, completed Smaugust, a challenge on Instagram where you draw a dragon each day of the month. View the video flip-through of this sketchbook, here.
• September – submitted and mailed off my Smaugust sketchbook to be a part of the Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Project
• November – finished my 1st commissioned artwork since before I was pregnant
• December – Little One created his 1st painting, the 1st of more to come

2021 Review:

• March- marked the 5th year of working at my current day job, it pays the bills while I work on my true passion
• August – completed Avian August drawing challenge
• October – started work on my 1st children’s book (5 illustrations down, 20 more to go)
• June – did my 1st 5k Run/Walk since having a child (I’d rather lift weights than run, but still like doing 5ks with my husband)
• December – Sold 2 chicken paintings (thank you, patron!)

Goals for 2022:

• Publish ABCs of Beasties on June 8th
• Post consistently on my blog…2x a month
• Interview local artists who are also balancing creative pursuits and child-care (share on blog)
• Update my professional portfolio (hello, chicken series)
• Create body of work suitable for art licensing
• Outline next children’s book
• Create mythical mini-zines (I’ve been wanting to make these for a while)
• Read one book a month
• Play more board games with loved ones
• Go hiking again!
• Try plein-air painting (with a toddler, so we’ll see how that pans out)

Over the past two years I’ve learned that progress takes time, and any step forward, no matter how small, is still progress. It took me a while to get back into the rhythm of things, namely setting aside time for myself and creative pursuits. Here’s to 2022 and keeping up the momentum.