A Year in Review
January 17th, 2010
I received a challenge from Alyson B. Stanfield to look back at 2009 and see what I have accomplished. In the hurried pace of our lives, we often fail to look back and review to learn and give thanks. I thought I would take that look back and see what happened to 2009. Alyson gave us several questions to begin our review so we could realize all we have accomplished in the past year and see where we need to make improvements. I should explain that Alyson is a business coach who works primarily with artists. I found her book through an online seminar I attended and have found it to be a wonderful source of information for artists and for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit!
A couple of years ago, I came to the decision that I would put my energy towards art. Now I have taught painting for over 30 years, of course painting all that time for myself and occasionally for others. In the early 80’s, I met people in a company known as Ceramichrome. The manufacturing facility was located near my home at that time in the town of Stanford, Kentucky. Stan Clifford and Jim Miller asked me to use the paint they were making and compare it to other brands of craft paint. I did, and boy was I impressed with the coverage of the paint, which was intended as paint for ceramic bisque pieces. It did not, however, have the sheen other craft paints had. The chemists or mixers fixed that, and the company went on to become Deco Art paints. I was fortunate to be around when the first bottles of paint were introduced. In fact, I, via cut and paste, helped design the first label. I was hired to teach some of their staff to “tole” paint and became a liaison between the ceramic industry they had been and the growing decorative painting industry. I was given a phone card (for long distance calls) and told to call the “big brushes” to offer them a complete set of paint to try for free! Can you imagine that, giving a woman a calling card and telling her to talk on the phone about something she absolutely loved! What a job.
I moved from that area in 1985 (February 11 during an ice storm, to be exact) and had to leave the job soon after. I tell you this to know where I came from. During this time, I attended several Society of Decorative Painting Conventions, wrote magazine articles for Deco Art, designed my own patterns, taught several days per week, traveled with Deco Art and taught for them at conventions and trade show, and yet I did not believe I had any ability or the right to call myself an artist. Remember, I was drawing and designing my own patterns, cutting my own wood pieces and selling then, and doing quite well while raising two small children, keeping house, and all that went with that.
Now move forward 20 or so years, and I decide maybe I do have some ability. I took a few watercolor classes and found them to be so fulfilling. I crave the time to paint and create. I live and breathe with my head so full of ideas. I entered a couple of pieces in juried shows and was actually accepted. I painted a large sculptured horse, and it won accolades. Okay, a few good pieces still don’t tell the whole story, but the point is people are now buying what I am designing and painting.
So, I decide I want to make this a career, and the rest is my history in the making. I found a coach to help me in the business of art and started down this road. This is where Alyson comes in, and I begin to review the past year.
I won’t go into all the questions she asked, but I HAVE answered them all for my sake. In 2009, I was co-owner of Bliss located in the Blue Velvet shop on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. I sold several paintings there and met wonderful new friends, but the Blue Velvet Shop closed, and I moved on.
I traveled to seminars and painted with some wonderful new teachers, met more new friends, and gained a lot of new skills.
Through my business classes, I have learned about QuickBooks, Adobe Photoshop (still struggling there), set up a website with a wonderful web master, Marian Jackson, (still building that, too), learned about blogging and now have a blog, and twittering and Facebook, and I have linked up with several other social and business networking groups.
I have a beautiful home studio where I love to work, and new business cards and signage have been printed. I have a monthly newsletter with a growing audience and take part in several annual shows. I am now in three galleries in the Kentuckiana area and am beginning to plan traveling teaching events. I was published in the Decorative Painter Magazine this year. I consolidated all my notes with names and addresses on them to one computerized mailing list. I set up regular (kind of) studio hours and now spend time daily working there.
I have begun working with Traditions Paints (acrylics), using them as watercolors and like an oil paint (more on that another time), and am listed as one of 70 or so artists in the world who will be teaching in a new online art education program beginning in 2010! I also have played with adding pastels over watercolors, and the results are beautiful, if I do say so myself.
I have learned to delegate and to say no, as well as how to express an opinion out loud (not a small task for me). I have accepted what I am not qualified to do and asked for help in learning or accomplishing filing, computer technology, and bookkeeping tasks.
I look back at 2009 and think about all I accomplished and say, “thanks” to all those friends, family, and mentors who have lead or dragged me towards my goals. I am excited about 2010 and what is to come. I have more to do to get my business in order, and I need to paint every day to grow my skills. I am happy to be healthier but still need to do more towards the goal of good health and, dare I say it, losing weight!
I hope I haven’t bored you with this evaluation of my year. It has been good to step back and put in writing what I have done. I encourage you to try it. I would love to hear from you on your 2009 and your goals for 2010.
Peace and creative energy,
Pam