A Fresh Start

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A Fresh Start

During the collective pause while we burrowed into the longest nights of the year over the Winter Solstice (in the northern hemisphere), I did my share of reflecting and planning for the new year.

As did everyone else, it seems, on the interwebs.

I didn’t want to make resolutions or goals, as both dissolve and fade in the light of real life. And after completing a year-long, weekly project I didn’t want to box myself in with another one. But I thought I could using a guiding intention for my art practice. A navigational beacon for 2023 that would keep me sailing in a direction I want to go.

And the direction I want to head next is to experiment more, play with new materials in new combinations and generally wander outside my comfort zone.

I mean this as both a matter of spirit and craft. Through more intentional experimentation and play, I am as eager to learn more about my Self as a creative being as I am to improve my art skills.

I didn’t know where to start at first

So I began by

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That's a wrap! My 52 Cards Project 2022

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That's a wrap! My 52 Cards Project 2022

If you’ve been following along on this particular art journey, thank you for reading each week and going along for the ride! I’ve had some lovely responses to this project and I especially appreciate all of you who shared your thoughts and gave me encouragement. It really helped me keep going.

If you’re just finding me now, welcome! This 52 Cards Project has been a personal project for 2022 where each week I assigned a theme to whatever I experienced that week and illustrated it on a 4X6” card, and then I shared each card and some thoughts in a weekly post.

I’ve had some questions about how the project went for me, what I learned—and what I’m going to do next—so here goes:

First of all, Why did I initiate a project that would run for an entire year?

I have no idea.

I literally thought,

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Celebrate--52 Cards Project #52

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Celebrate--52 Cards Project #52

And finally…Card #52 of my 52 Cards Project! The theme for this last week of the year is Celebrate. And yes, like my whacky lizard, I am celebrating—both the new year (although most likely I’ll be ringing in the new year on the couch in my pajamas) and the end of this project.

As made this card, I wondered. What do we celebrate on New Year’s Eve? Are we celebrating the end of one year or are we celebrating the beginning of the next one?

And the question holds for this project too. Am I celebrating the finish line of a year-long endeavor or am I celebrating the starting gate of the next creative adventure?

On the one hand,

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Hygge--52 Cards Project #50

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Hygge--52 Cards Project #50

It’s the week of before Christmas and “all through house, not a creature is stirring not even a mouse.” (Now that we’re settled that is.)

Hannukah is now just beginning as I write this, and the winter solstice is here, and all in all t’s been deliciously quiet around here this week before festivities begin. So my theme for card #50 (!) of my 52 Cards Project is simply hygge. ‘Hygge’ as you probably know since the concept swept the internet in recent years, is a Danish/Norwegian word for that feeling of coziness and contentment you get when you’re all bundled up at home in the dead of winter.

Yep, that’s the feeling this week. I hope you are enjoying the same!

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As a sidenote, I am fast coming to the end of this 52 Cards Project! Only two more cards to go! That means that not only have I created a drawing for each week of the year, but I’ve also consistently written about each card on my blog here, week after week (which you might be receiving in the form of a weekly email).

Thank you so much for joining me on this little adventure! I hope my drawings and little stories about my life each week enriches yours in some way, and even more, my secret hope is that you start thinking about your own creativity, too.

I know I have been

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Landing--52 Cards Project #49

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Landing--52 Cards Project #49

Well, this is the week of coming back home so ‘landing’ seemed the right theme for my 52 Cards Project. It takes a week to settle back to the ground after a long trip. There’s jet lag and then of course there’s all the stuff of getting back—calendars, groceries, laundry, appointments, phone calls—and Christmas coming in fast. (Notice my symbolic use of red and green. So subtle, I know).

The theme could have been ‘retribution’ though.

If you have cats you know what I’m talking about…

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