My "artist" new year's resolutions

     Well, the festivities are over, 2018 is gone and 2019 has begun.  I've already reviewed the past year with you, and as you know, 2018 was a mixed bag, but it ended on a great note.  I'm determined to keep that wonderful momentum going this year.   To that end, I've been toying with resolutions, I never make them, in fact, I find them pointless, but hey, why not keep an open mind, right?  So I googled "New Year' Resolutions For Artists" (you'd be surprised how many hits you get).  From my reading and from what I've been thinking about anyway, here are my Artist Resolutions for the new year:

​1.  I AM NOT going to set aside a scheduled time to paint every day:  Yeah, that was a popular suggestion, and I suppose I can see the merit in it.  The way the conventional thinking goes, if you're a professional, you should treat your "profession" as such and have office hours, I guess.  Well, if that works for some, great.  Not for me, I don't work that way.  Time and time again, I've been told, and I tend to believe it's true, that what sets my work apart from others is the emotion evident in it.  The reason for that is I only paint when the mood strikes, when inspiration hits, and only then, I take to the canvas.  That can't be scheduled and I have no plans to disrespect my work or my collectors by trying to schedule it.    One of the reasons my blog is called Life In Paint is due to the way I produce my work - each piece really is a slice of the life of Carl at a particular moment in time, what I'm thinking, felling, experiencing, etc.  That being said, I certainly can and do have "office hours" of some sort for other business related tasks, blogging, correspondence, etc.

​2.   No, I WON'T Clean Up My Studio:   This another popular suggestion. I have my space to paint, it's my space.  I know it's chaotic, but if you think that's bad, try being inside my head!  I have everything where I want and like it.  I understand that the experts say you should have a tidy workspace for optimum efficiency, and in other areas of my life, and home, it is neat, organized and bordering on the minimalistic.  However, my studio is different, I throw paint around, I drop things, I hang sketches around all over the place.  It's just how it is.  It's not dirty, it's just a very busy workspace.  When it gets too crazy for even me, I'll tidy it up.  Oh, and along the same lines, I will also not stop playing my weird music.  I'm aware that 80's alternative isn't everyone's cup of tea, but in the studio, what Carl wants, Carl does!

​     Those are the things I'm not doing, but there are things I do plan to do as well, such as:

​3.  Getting Out More:   The best way to become inspired is to get out there and see and experience life, to meet new people and to see new things.  To that end, there will be many more road trips and little excursions for me this year.   This will also mean not being tied to the computer and social media all the time, so if I'm not replying to you the second you message me, it's okay, I'll get back to you, I just choose to spend more time in the real as opposed to the virtual world.

​4.  More Shows:   Along the same lines, I, along with my management team, will be working toward getting my work out there more by doing/participating in more shows.  This will be a huge focus area for this year, so stay tuned, I may be coming to a city near you very soon.  As always, dates and details will be announced as they become available.

​     So, really, I'm not changing much of anything.  I'm going to do more of what I've been doing, and I'm still not doing the things I don't want to do.  So, I guess the only resolutions I really have are to continue being me and to continue painting and having fun.

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