Musings on an artful life

Word of the Year

"Online Dating Disappoints Again"

Several of the artist/bloggers I'm following advocate selecting a "word of the year" to motivate and guide planning and achievement of goals. I'm all for goals but had never thought about a word of the year. But, hey, I love to try new things, so I began to think of words that complement the goals and activities envisioned for 2011.

The first word that came to mind is "opportunities." As in "look for, take advantage of, every opportunity." For me, the word implies careful observation, keen awareness, an open mind, and a willingness to be nimble and change course as excellent opportunities present themselves. For one who sometimes lacks the gift of spontaneity, this sense of nimbleness could be challenging. Perhaps "nimble" should be my word, but I still like opportunities.

I'm also attracted to "explore," since that is exactly what I am doing this year on so many levels. I'm exploring figurative drawing/painting in a very intense, purposeful way. I'm exploring teaching classes and workshops to determine which formats work best for me and my students. I'm taking the summer off from school to explore Sanibel, FL, Walla Walla, WA, among other destinations near and far (here, I'm open to those "opportunities" mentioned above). 

Both words connote "process" more than "destination." There's a sense of adventure in process. The only destination is the culmination of experiences from which I can evaluate what has worked, what didn't, and what direction and destination are up next.

Guess I'd better choose....hmmm... I'll go with "explore." Along the way, I'll report where my explorations take me and what I find.

As explained in a previous blog, I'm exploring a process for accomplishing my goal of a 2012 exhibit of figurative work. The image with today's blog is one version of an image that will become at least a couple of paintings.

If you'd like to read about other artist's words of the year, check out these blogs:

http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/juju-infusion-unapologetic/

http://blog.lisacall.com/2011/01/go-confidently-in-the-direction-of-your-dreams/