Perhaps this is an appropriate quote as we near the end of 2010…each year I try and take stock of what I’ve accomplished as an artist, how my life has unfolded, what I liked about what I did in the past year and what I wished I had done, reserving little space in my ‘stock taking’ for regret as I learned early in my life to choose not to live with regrets, but take some risks, and calculated chances and go with them!
This year I became more selective in the submissions I made to galleries, and “calls for art”, was more focused on creating a coherent body of work, and balanced that with fewer select workshops, and more conceptualization of what I wanted to create.
As always, I submitted to show at Sonnenberg Gardens in August, Clothesline at the Memorial Art Gallery in September, and Artist Row at the Rochester Public Market. In all these venues I had rich experiences seeing loyal clients, and meeting new folks interested in my work.
I was awarded the Best of Show in Photography at Artist Row, a great way to end the summer showing of my work in a booth format! I also showed with the DRAW gals at Artist Row, our booths adjoining….very fulfilling to display work with friends and colleagues side-by-side. And in the fall several of us in DRAW donated our work to the Rochester Public Library for circulation.
In November I was asked to speak at the Chili Art Group, an active group of diverse artists. In preparing for that talk, I took the opportunity as a prelude to year end assessing, where I was as an artist. I looked at how, and if, my goals were being achieved. In thinking about the creative process and the commonalities we face as artists, I became clearer about the process for myself, which became a gift for me. Having spent seven years listening to speakers for M.E.C.A. (Monday Evening Creative Arts), I was amazed at how difficult it was for me to articulate MY process. The questions raised during the evening were poignant and this stands as another one of the highlights of my year.
I will sadly miss attending the DRAW Show: “Parallel Perspectives” at Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester January 7, 2011 but am already working on a series to present in a gallery in 2011. These images were created, and the idea was developed at a workshop in Peters Valley with photographer, Laurie Klein last summer. It promises to engage me in some deep post production work.
So today, as the year ends, as Albert Einstein proclaims, I commit to learn from yesterday, I hopefully, live for today, and in looking forward to tomorrow, I hope….And I never stop asking questions, the questions that inspire and motivate me to explore…..
What have you learned from yesterday? Do you live for today? And do you hope for tomorrow? What are the questions you ask? Do they inspire and motivate you to explore your creative self? What will you discover and create in the coming year?
