2020: A year of coping

 2020 was supposed to be a Year of Experimentation for me.  And then the pandemic crushed that.  Instead, it became a year of Coping.  Looked at through that bit of reframing, the ending year taught me many things.  Just very few of them the things I thought I was going to do.   We all lived through the dumpster fire that was 2020 so my purpose here is to tell myself what I accomplished besides surviving.  

Persist!

1.  Set up art area in bedroom.

2.  Started Spirit Animal series with several snail pieces. By the end of April, I had finished 6 pieces.

3.  Experimented with 3D medium (powertex) and did snail sculpture.

4.  Continued listing art inventory on etsy.  

5.  Discovered while updating inventory that I've sold 100 pieces.  That made me feel much better about having several older pieces still here.

6.  Redid studio space in garage with lower tables since standing wears me out.  

7.  Started doing regular zines again.  Another indication of rising energy level.

8.  Tried knitting for evening activity and didn't like it.  Part of experimentation is saying no to things that don't work.  This was one.

9,  Had to take our elderly cat to the vet to be put down.( 2/15)  She was failing rapidly.  We still miss her.

10.  Tried out a condo in Blaine.  Nice location, good birding but alas, our vacation was cut short by the covid-19 shutdown.  The first one, not the current one.  *sigh*

11.  Started Medicare research.  This is way more complicated than it should be.

12.  Tried needle punch as alternative for quilting.  Didn't like it.  Another nope.

13.  Made several masks for the family.  

14.  Tried braided perle cotton for surface texture.  Liked it.  Keeping this as a collage version of my decorative satin stitch.

15.  Started listening to podcasts including installing software on my ipad and finding which ones I like.  

Go with the Flow

16.  Did taxes.  This is something I put off and then am always surprised at how much easier it is than I remember.  

17.  Created abstract hummer sketch and stencils in May.  These were set aside and I'm now contemplating using them with the alcohol ink explorations I'm planning for 2021.

18.  Bought new storage boxes for my silkscreens and sorted them by type:  birds, dancers, geometrics, nature elements.  This was a great thing to do.  My studio looks better and it's easier to find a particular screen.

19.  Did new drawer labels for all the elfa shelves in my studio.  James did 3D printed large plastic pieces to hang on the drawers and I painted them white so I could more easily read the writing.  Another excellent improvement in the studio.  Now I don't have to open the drawer to know what's in it.

20.  set up marbling area and did some marbling.  This was wonderful and I enjoyed it tremendously.  And it was the last straw for my poor back in mid August.  After my back is recovered, and I'm going to the gym regularly, I'll try the marbling again and see if it's still possible for me.

21.  Added mailchimp signup to my blog.  This is another item that was started but ended up being delayed.  I plan to restart my newsletter in 2021.  

22.  Started chair yoga and other back supporting exercises.

23.  experimented with Inktense pencils.  Ongoing as this is probably going to be a big part of my future work.  Still in the exploration stage.

24.  Got flu shot in early October.

25.  Joined a monthly walking meditation group at our church.  We walk solo and have a distanced group chat after we walk. So I guess I have gotten some social interaction this year.

26.  Started experimenting with alcohol inks.  Fabulous color, great fluidity.  On my list for 2021.  I'll be combining this with the inktense pencils and we'll see where it goes.

27.  Gave up on GIMP.  The photo processing works fine, but I have struggled with printing things and cannot get it to do what I want easily.  

28.  Bought Affinity photo software after recommendations on the SAQA group on FB.  Just beginning to work with it.

29.  Did bird walks at 6 different parks with almost one big walk per month.  This was a big part of coping for me.

30.  Maintained my meditation practice, another big selfcare item.

31.  Took November & December off from the studio to focus on my back and other selfcare.  

32.  Got lots of reading done this year.  Mostly reading books I'd already read but I did get some new ones in.

And that's about it for the year.  Half the length of last year's list but I'm good with that.  2020 was a very tough year.  Getting anything done at all was a big win.  May the next year be easier & healthier.