Year End Rituals: Making Time as a Creative Human

“Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.” — Paul Theroux

Warm greetings.

I have much to share. Please allow me to get some housekeeping out of the way first (as I am a working artist.)

I have two new workshop announcements:

Saturday December 21st 2024 11 AM PST:

• Winter Solstice Pay What You Can Art Journaling Workshop (think paper, paint, and pen)

NEW for 2025:

• TAL: Building a Visual Vocabulary (A Yearlong Journey in Creativity) This is my baby, the workshop community I’m putting every ounce of my heart, soul, and time into.

Are you ready to do a deep dive and explore how to discover and build your own visual vocabulary?

TAL: Building a Visual Vocabulary offers options for everyone. It's a creative smorgasbord. Part art school part old-fashioned artist salon. You choose what, when, and how you participate. Both live sessions and recordings are available. If you miss a session, no worries. Everything is work at your own pace. This means you do not have to participate in everything offered.

(a sample of some of the art made in 2024)

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Speaking of work made in 2024…

This is some of the work I made in 2024. I’ll be doing another, more in depth post about it closer to the end of the year.

For the last couple of years I’ve created a ritual of gathering all of the work I’ve done throughout the year (what’s left that wasn’t shipped out to patrons, family, friends, or destroyed.)

I’ll make a cup of tea and sit with it, going through it piece by piece.

As I look back, I’m thinking how I feel about the work. I’ll often write in my written journal.

I’m asking questions:

• What did I love making?

• What did I learn? What are my strengths and weaknesses?

• What would I do differently next time?

• What motifs would I like to return to? What color palettes do I want to examine further? What would I like to explore some more?

• How have I grown as an artist?

• What are my goals moving forward?

There is a wealth of inspiration in revisiting your work if you make the time to sit with it and learn from it.

I don’t tear up the journals. There are usually at least four, one for each season (this is how I’ve worked the last couple of years. Again, more on that soon.)

I gather work made in painting sessions, workshops, practice runs, palette pages, everything not in a journal.

I then, tear it up.

I gather, fold, assemble, stitch, and rework.

From this pile of work, I create something new.

This Friday, at 1 PM PST, I’ll be posting this new work on my blog. At 1 PM pst, a new page will pop up (you’ll have to refresh the blog at that point) with the journals, original art, and more.

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To Know the Dark by Wendell Berry

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.

To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,

and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,

and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

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What are your creative rituals at the end of the year?

Wishing you a blessed yuletide.

As always, thank you for your interest and your time.

Kelly