January just HUMMED by!!!

I am amped up about the potential inherent in a new year.  I’ve said it before- there is nothing special about January.  Really, it’s just another day and another month and another opportunity to try again.  Life should be about the Mulligan!

But I guess what makes January special is the communal effort and will to try to do better.  When we are all striving to make changes it seems more accepted to deviate from our usual behavior.  And then there is the magical power of symbolism which lends its weight to helping us turn over new leaves-  even if just for a few moments! 

Change is exciting- but damned difficult!  Change the side of the bed you sleep on for one night? Never. Change the part in your hair?  Not happening.  Change up your menu selection at your favorite restaurant?  Are you crazy?!  People are creatures of habit.  I am a creature of habit.  Habits are reassuring because we know what to expect. We know how much pleasure or discomfort we can expect.  We just feel RIGHT in that spot- not in any other spot.   So, change only comes through concerted effort, and perhaps the magic of symbolism is there to help us through the difficult transitions.

For the past few years I have been attempting to change the course of my daily life.  I don’t remember the moment when I adopted the belief that if I wanted to pursue art I just needed to do it.  But committing myself to learning and doing EVERY day has brought me a good distance from my starting point.  I am proud of what I have accomplished.  I am also motivated by the small victories to push for larger ones.  All this contemplation led to my word of the year for 2023- MANIFEST.

In 2020, as I was committing to this idea of becoming who I want to be, I decided to adopt a word to guide me through the year.  The word was “bold”.  I took my cue from Nature.  Mother Nature is the world’s first avant-garde artist, the premier haute-couture designer, Gaudy’s earliest ancestor.  Mother Nature fashioned life from the most unimaginable shapes then colored them with an explosion of colors and patterns that would make Tim and Heidi simply gnash their teeth while hissing “edit!”.  Nature did not worry about what the heavens would say about such garish creations.  The result-  a globe filled with color and beauty that man continues weakly to emulate.

My internal dialogue about the role-model of Mother Nature and the adjective “Bold” was extensive, so I decided to put paint to paper as a visual reminder throughout the year.  The resulting watercolor showcased animals of the sea and exotic plants of the world.

Choosing a single word to guide my actions that year proved effective- far more effective than resolutions!  So, this year, as I reflected on my progress and where I want to be, the word “manifest” repeatedly appeared. I knew the universe was gifting me my guiding principle for the year.

“Manifest” reminds me to stop waiting and start doing. It’s a firm admonition that nothing will be given to me freely.  But when I give myself to the work, I will receive in kind.  (A little side note here… a pat on my own back and an ask of you.  I made and edited my first little video this week!  Tackling video was on last year’s list of skills to acquire, but I tackled it early this year!  Do me a little favor and give it a look.  https://fb.watch/ioVgMWQUXD/

I’d like to know how you approach a new year.  Do you set resolutions? Adopt a word? Fashion a list of goals and actionable steps?  I would LOVE to hear how you are welcoming the new year!

I have been painting humming birds!  These are small 6×6 originals that I am selling at Hummingbird Fine Craft.  If you are outside of the Tulsa area and would like to purchase one from me directly, send me an email.  I am selling them for $60.  Currently, I don’t have plans to print them.  If you would like to see what is available, use this link or navigate to my home page.   More hummingbirds will finish up January and then I will start over with a new theme-  Rabbit!

Colleen Oakes     Blood in Wonderland

James Clear    Atomic Habits

TASCHEN    Plant Magick