My 2022 New Year’s Resolution: How Setting Goals to Improve my Art and Well-Being Go Hand in Hand
New Year, same issues that we shall learn to tackle together (I promise this post is more hopeful than the subheading)
Hello hello! Happy New Year beautiful readers!
Cheers to making it to 2022! After all, we have been through in 2021, I am keeping this post short and sweet. So, here’s a short read on how I am reframing my New Year’s resolutions to improve my art by improving my well-being. What could that jumbled sentence possibly mean? Well, let’s find out!
Reframing my New Year’s Resolutions
(Aka Art Goals)
This year I’m choosing to approach my New Year’s Resolutions; specifically my goals as an artist, differently. For the past few years I’ve set my usual round of resolutions; to be more creative, advance my technical skills, get more cool clients that will make me feel ✨ worthy ✨ All that fun stuff. But, I learned after some self-reflection that as much as those goals can drive me for the next few months, maybe even weeks or days, they were not substantial in helping me grow as an artist/individual.
So I did a lovely thing called journaling, that helped me realize what challenges I faced in 2021 and revaluated what I really needed to improve on, and that was well … my well-being.
Improving my Well-Being for the Benefit of Art, Yay!
If I really think about it, it's quite simple, learning how I can take care of my mental health, and giving time and attention to my physical and emotional needs means:
1) More focused energy to learn and practice art (less sick days and wallowing in sadness woo!)
2) Having the necessary tools to tackle and understand my stress and anxieties (when I am or am not working on art)
3) Feeling more confident with the work I produce (recognizing my self-worth in general)
These were goals I have never directly placed on myself but looking at them now, they sound amazing if I can work towards them! So, what will that look like? What resolutions will I place on myself?
Well, this is why this post is a bit of a short read. It’s hard to come up with the answers for you (let alone myself). Firstly, I’m still trying to figure it out along the way; hence why I am trying to improve haha, and also I think the way we take care of ourselves really matters with what you think we need the most.
For example, I know that I am prone to getting sick; which really sucks with our current situation, I know. I tend to stay up late to finish up my art, resulting in very little sleep since I have to get up for work pretty early. I can set a resolution to make it a habit to put down my iPad and laptop by 10:30 pm or 11:00 pm on weekdays.
Another example, I’m aware I have a lot to improve on for my mental health, there are tools and tactics that I am still exploring to help tackle my negative thoughts. Perhaps I can make it a habit to use art as a means to understand those thoughts, which goes hand in hand with my desire to practice art. Or maybe, I can create a resolution to find flexibility in my time allotted for art to use for rest and recovery. I know that's a tough one, but, I can imagine saying yes to rest would be so rewarding for my well-being.
You Don’t Need to Have it All Figured Out
The examples I’ve set out could work for me or could not, but it is worth a try. I am still learning along the way because I believe the idea of improving my art and well-being will be an ongoing journey that surpasses the year, As mentioned, you could find there are other resolutions that cater best to your needs and I am hoping that they help you and your goals.
All I can say is I am really excited about this approach. This gives me the opportunity to view my goals as something achievable and rewarding. Even if I do not get all the cool clients, and haven't become the master illustrator and animator by the end of the year, at least all while doing so I was taking care of myself, and I can be proud of myself for recognizing that matters too.
