The Year in Review and Lessons Learned
“A good artist has less time than ideas.” – Martin Kippenberger
As we near year end, the quote from Kippenberger really spoke to me. It feels as if each year time goes by faster than the year before. With the passing of this time, it seemed apropos to reflect on the last twelve months through the artist lens – both in terms of accomplishments as well as lessons learned. While I personally do not believe in New Year’s resolutions, these are my takeaway which I can use to continue growing.
Make the Time for True Love
This year has been filled with many new creative projects, one of them being this blog. While I do enjoy writing, I love painting that much more. This does not mean that I am going to give up on the blog. It is another great creative outlet, and it allows me to connect with others in a different way. However, I may change things up a little and write quarterly pieces instead. This will allow a bit more time for other “must dos” on the business side of being an artist, without taking away what I love the most – painting!
Continue to Grow but do not Overextend Oneself
I am a big believer that true growth comes when we extend ourselves and put ourselves in new situations. It is through varying degrees of challenges that we continue to develop and grow. This past year I have done a number of shows; each one was a great experience. Through it I also learned a couple of things. First, it is not always possible to be part of every event – that can become stressful and take away from the enjoyment of creating. Second, there are different types of shows for various purposes. For me, I am learning to focus on shows that align with my goals as an artist. It is important that I create works that not only suit the show but fit in with my portfolio – both stylistically as well as content wise.
Look for New Opportunities
This past year has been an incredible one for networking. I attended an amazing charity event, with my only real goal being to meet the artist donating a piece. I was fortunate to spend 45 minutes talking art with this very successful artist. The input and suggestions provided made for incredible learning. Being part of artist networks as well as being invited to other social events put on by leaders in the creative field were powerful learning experiences. Participating in various shows also allowed me to connect with incredible talents in the industry. Most surprising for me was the huge impact that can occur by networking with smaller businesses and individuals. The power of connection is huge. The key for me will be to look for new avenues and unique opportunities, even ones that may be atypical for the art industry.
Do Not Forget the Hard Work
As much as I would love my art on its own to do all the selling, the reality is that there is a lot of behind the scenes work that needs to take place. Whether it be looking for new partnership opportunities to additional representation, there is always work to be done. For me, promotion is an area of growth. Whether I need to post more or come up with more creative ways of sharing my work on socials, I cannot rest on creating alone.
Explore, Play, Experiment and Take Risks
Finally, I constantly am jotting ideas down for new pieces. I do not want to move away from what I do – painting rock stars and other bad asses, but I want to look at experimenting with some new concepts. Whether that be rock star inspired pieces – minus the musicians to creating more icons with a rock star persona – which can be very widespread in interpretation, these are a few of the ideas I am playing with for the new year.
Earlier I sated that I do not believe in resolutions. Personally, I think they are bullshit and often not maintained. However, I do believe in ongoing growth throughout the year, not just putting an idea out to begin the start of a new calendar. These are my learnings from the past year. I am excited to build upon the foundation and see where the journey takes me. Growth in not linear and success is built one small step at a time. I am ready for the hard work and to put my learning into action.
I thank everyone who has joined me on parts of the journey. From attending shows to reading my blog, as well as supporting me on my socials. 2024 has been a fun ride and I cannot wait to see what the new year has in store.
I look forward to sharing more of my art journey with you, with a focus on painting and rock and roll through Artist Confidential. If you have topics, you would like me to blog about, please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks for reading. Stay creative! Rock your day with everything that you do. Wishing everyone a happy new year, filled with success. Stay tuned for what is coming in 2025! I will be releasing new pieces in January and the next blog will come out in March! Until then ……
Cheers,
Al
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