An artist's simple resolution

"Rolling Hills of Blue," oil on panel by Gina Grundemann

It's that typical New Years time to reflect on how last year has gone and how to achieve more in this fresh start of a new year. As Oprah so aptly said "...another chance to get it right."

I was intrigued by Steve Pavlina's "How to set goals you will actually achieve" and how our goals are more achievable if viewed from the perspective of how they will improve our lives right now, rather than how they may improve our lives at some future date. Acting in the here and now in meaningful ways will evolve into achievement of our lifetime goals. So true how difficult it is to follow through on goals if we don't see any immediate benefit.

With this perspective in mind, I considered a huge list of lofty and not so lofty long term goals suitable for an artist and for being a "productive member of society". Instead, I pared it down to what was meaningful right now for my development as an artist, with one "artsy" goal... to Paint more. To this aim,  I will organize time more efficiently, not dwell on unnecessary tasks that dampen creativity and schedule systematic studio time. My daily rewards: joyfully exploring, expanding, having fun, and each day, becoming a better painter.

What are your creative goals for the New Year?

"Art is the thing an artist does.



It’s not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human.


Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It’s in the soul of the artist."

~ Seth Godin

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Facinating quote that invites an intriguing discussion about art. I believe that art begins in this way... it begins as a solo journey by the artist seeking to express something that outwarding may be seen as frivolous and non-essential. Often an artist's voice of doubt can easilly overcome a creative act by calling itself the logical voice of reason. To be a spontaneous act of creation, doubt must be stamped out so the art can be made possible.

Once the art work is revealed to others, I feel the painting or sculpture becomes transformed and redefined by the eye of the beholders. It doesn't truly become defined until the response from the artist is joined with the response from the viewers.