I love the symbolism of beginning a new year. I know it is just a turn of the calendar page, but it is filled with so much hope and promise for the new year. I had a good 2013, so it isn’t that I’m anxious to be done with last year, I just love the idea of a fresh beginning. January is always a time for me to ponder and consider what I want in the new year. I like goals/resolutions/intentions, whatever one wants to call them. For me, I choose the word intentions because it is somewhat fluid. Also, the idea of an intention means I’m aware and awake to what I am choosing to do – whatever the activity.
I’ve chosen my word for the year, a practice I’ve done for several years and one that I enjoy as it reminds me to pay attention to that particular wish. My word for 2014 is intention. I’ll be paying attention to my intentions. I’ve made a list of intentions and I’ll share them here. I don’t have anything that requires a daily activity or any particular time frame because for me, that sets me up for failure right from the start. But whatever I choose to do in a particular day, I hope to have awareness of my intention for doing it. Here goes.
Continued dedication to good health, from what I eat to how I move. I know my weaknesses, so I’ll pay attention to when those urges occur and how I handle them. Sometimes I’ll give in and have that piece of dark chocolate, but just not the whole bag of chocolately goodness (I can’t even have that kind of stuff in the house). Pure and simple foods, walks, and targeted supplements are all part of my routine and have been for a long time. This intention is just a recommitment to what I’m already doing.
Since discovering art (okay, and Facebook), my appetite for reading has diminished. I read art magazines and look at art books, but my reading of memoirs and fiction has declined. When we were on vacation recently, I read three or four books and I was reminded how much I enjoy this activity. But to do this, I need to give up something else or at least make reading a priority.
Which leads to screens. Oh, how I love screen time, whether it is a movie, TV, or catching up with my friends on Facebook. I don’t plan to give any of these up, but I have begun to pay attention to how much time I spend sitting in front of a screen and with attention, comes awareness; I’ve begun to make little shifts in how much time I spend sitting at my computer or watching TV. At night instead of opening my iPad to catch up on Facebook, I open my book and at least read a section – then I look at Facebook. A small shift, but it’s amazing how much I’ve read in just a few days time.
I have an idea for a new show. I’m excited about the theme and I’ve been doing research, jotting down ideas, taking notes, and gathering images. I cancelled a July show in order to focus completely on this NEXT BIG IDEA. I don’t want to divulge more than this right now, but you know I will when the time is right.
Another area where I hope to direct some intention is with big, experimental paintings. My painting studio space is limited, but if a downtown studio space comes to fruition (my deposit has been placed), I’ll have the opportunity to play with this dream. If not, I’ll have to figure out how to work big in a small space. It can be done.
I’ve been called back to my Visual Journal. I haven’t done much playing/painting/experimenting/writing in it for over a year. I am almost at the end of a journal I made so I had to decide whether to start a brand new blank journal for 2014, or complete the old one. I decided to pick up where I left off and just continue. I don’t have plans to journal every day, but I do have plans to leave my journal out and when I’m in my studio or passing through or when I get the urge to make a mark, it will be easy to add a dab of paint, glue in an image, write a quote.
“Just what is meant by ‘your word?’ It means
your conscious intention, your conscious
direction, your conscious faith and acceptance
that, because of what you are doing, the
Power of Spirit will flow through your word
in the direction you give It.” Ernest Holmes
“A good intention is like the seed of
a tree whose fruit we do not know.” Lloyd Strom
“Choose your intention carefully and then
practice holding your consciousness to it,
so it becomes the guiding light in your life.” John Roger