I always wanted to do these end-of-the-year-recaps, including goals for the new year and what not. But winter often isn’t my best season. This year however, is not so bad so I figured I’d make good use of that!
My depression isn’t really related to any particular season, but the dark and cold winter does make tired and inactive. I once had this magical fantasy about moving to a cabin somewhere in the vast nowhere-ness of Norway, until somebody pointed out that I probably wouldn’t survive the 1 hour of daylight in the winter there.
This winter was a little different because we had that amazing project planned, together with Janneke and here three choirs. Not being able to bury myself actually kept me going for a bit longer. I should probably give myself some credit as well; after all, it wouldn’t have been the first time I’d pull the plug from a commitment. So a pat on my own back is fair enough. But overall, it was many factors working at once.
Koosje <3
One of those small factors, was an even smaller cat that joined our lives. We had an opportunity to adopt the 12-year-old Queen of Purrrs, Koosje. And I’m ever so happy that I didn’t over-think that for too long and just said ‘okiedokie’. After living cat-free for many years, it’s just amazing to have another cat following me around the house.
Going live!
I also did my first livestreams! I was so in doubt about that and really not sure if it was something I could or even wanted to do. But I know myself, and if there’s even a single thought about ‘maybe….’ then I need to at least try it. It took a lot of preparing but everything went just fine. And how amazing was it to be “live” with you, my followers and students! I can’t get over the awesomeness of that haha.
Creating a body of work
Yeah, that was a thing. It’s one thing creating works, and a whole different ballpark creating a consistent body of work. I figured I would just work my butt off. But you guessed it, it wasn’t that straight forward. You know those little voices that kindly offer their doubts about your latest work? They turned themselves into a choir and sang songs of doubt and “WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!”. I really underestimated the impact of that. But in the end it was a good lesson to learn, and something I might write a little more about in a future blog.
My first exposition
Or even better; my first time showing my work outside of the internet. That body of work was obviously for the project I worked on with Janneke: “A Whisper of Hope”. A whole array of new things presented themselves; framing, packing, moving, hanging and of course, showing. Oh and let’s not forget selling! Because as much as I would love to work and live in a world where money doesn’t exist, it does and it’s important. I feel like selling most of my works also made me more confident in the style that I had established in these works. People responded to my works with very personal words and stories. Everything just fell into place.
I’m so happy to have YOU
Yeah, that needs to be said at the end of this yearly recap. I know the words ‘grateful’ and ‘blessed’ are used a lot in online posts. It’s easy to be very expressive online. And difficult to really communicate how you feel, because you can’t really see me in real life. But I’m gonna give it a try anyways. You, my readers and followers and students, are the foundation of all of this. I’ve often felt that with my mental problems, achievements are limited. And some of them are. But others are not, if you know how to take the correct detour. Without people who understand you, it’s very difficult to see which way to go to get to your goals. Through the online art community I’ve met SO many people who were more understanding and supporting than I could ever imagine. Every time the world feels way too scary, I try to think of that. That little piece of ‘world’ we’ve created, where we create, share and care about each other’s emotional state. I’m looking forward to being a part of that again this year, and to thrive through your friendship and support. I love you!
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