Holy Goddess of all things wonderful and sweet, I'm officially 'tools down' for the rest of 2024! Yep, I am done and dusted, finito, home free and oh, I feel so excited about that! When I say 'tools down' that's not actually what I mean, because the day after my last arty event for this year I headed straight back into the studio to make all the fun things I've had in my head for so long now. I'm making all of the silly things, the indulgent things, the things that are just about play and experimentation and fulfilling this deep need inside of me to express my love for the world through paint and paper, hot glue and making my studio a complete and utter beautiful mess. It feels SO good, SO SO SO good!
It feels so good in fact that I'm determined to keep this spontaneous and unstructured mode of making up in the new year. 2024 was about giving my all in regards to promoting my work off of social media - it was about getting work exhibited and doing markets and attempting to get some traction in a new city. I really went for it this year and I'm super proud of myself for that. I have been quite disciplined (which has never been my strength) and created consistently, sticking to schedules and ideas. The thing is that I have seen the value in that by being rewarded with a modest income but the question always hangs over me "Am I making what I want to be making?" I have never very successfully made things that sell consistently. Some things sell and some things don't - it's my creative whims that have always dictated what I make. I did compromise on that this year and saw how I could navigate a more 'fruitful' creative career, but it is also clear to me that I need to be able to balance that with 'free reign' time in the studio. Balance is another one of my weaknesses. Hah!
Anyhow, I try not to ponder too hard on these things and just get on with it. As long as I get to fill in my time by making things and sharing my love for art with others then I am a happy little human bean! Yay! So, what have I been up to lately? Well, my Open Studio took up a large chunk of the past few months - making work, sifting through boxes of old work, organising our house and my studio, and just generally trying to make things presentable. I'm so glad that I took the plunge and held the Open Studio because it forced me to focus on something and gave me an opportunity to introduce myself to the community. I also sold a chunk of work, so that was a bonus! I was terrified of holding the open studio to be honest, as I don't have a big network of friends, family or creatives here in Perth and I was so scared no-one would show up. But people are generally curious and kind and I had a nice, easy flow of visitors over the weekend. I think I might make it an annual event now!
I've also been holding workshops, exhibited a piece in the Printmakers Association latest exhibition, and just did my last market for the year (well, I only did 2, haha!) on Sunday. It's been a busy 5 months or so and I'm really grateful for all of the creative opportunities that I've grasped onto.
So, what now? Now I take a month off and then I start the art hustle all over again in 2025! Haha, it never ends, but I think that this year has taught me a lot and I'll go into the New Year a little wiser and with a stronger sense of direction. But I'll save talking about that for my New Year's post I think. For now, I'm gonna go and put up my Christmas tree (finally!) and then get back in the studio for a night of crafting creatures from paper mache!
Oh, before I go, January workshop dates are up HERE!
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