2010 Accomplishments

I’ll be frank – 2010 was a rough year personally. My mom was in the hospital frequently and then passed away in September. I spent all summer and part of the fall living at the house with her and Dad, helping them select a new place to live, clean out their old house, hold garage sales, and pack to move. Mom never made it to the new place, but Dad moved by himself. Going through those conversations and making those decisions is tough. Tough. Draining in a way I’d never known. My sister came home for the summer to lend a hand and was a powerhouse. It would have been impossible without her.

So when I sat down to figure out my accomplishments for the year, I figured I’d have none. I felt like I hadn’t done anything art-related all year. Seemed silly to sit down to total it up, so why bother?

Surprise, Surprise

I’m glad I did. To my surprise, I discovered that I’d accomplished a lot. Can’t say that I created a whole lot of large artwork, but I did do plenty of small pieces, kept my art out in the public, and made some nice strides towards goals.

Word for 2010: Venture

My word for 2010 was Venture. I chose it to help me venture farther down the path. Venture a little farther afield. Start a new venture, perhaps. In my mind, it had the connotation of getting out, going farther, trying something new. It also implied some risk and going forward despite uncertainty.

Did I “venture” as much as I’d hoped? No. But I did try some new things. The workshop with Paul St. Denis was a great 3 days of experimentation and newness. Art Every Day Month in November was also a time for play and trial-and-error. I tried some new themes and started working larger on some pieces, which I haven’t done in a long time. It felt good.

In October, I walked my first half marathon. I certainly didn’t set any land-speed records (believe me), but I enjoyed the heck out of it. I enjoyed the process of getting ready for it and the day itself. Would certainly do it again. Running isn’t my thing but I’ll walk anywhere, anytime.

Accomplishments

Here’s my summary of accomplishments, divided into art, online, and personal. They’re not in any particular order, chronological or otherwise.

Art

• Sent 96 small paintings to Artomat
• Showed my art in the Hudson Society of Artists’ Mid-Winter Show in March
• Showed my art in the Hudson Society of Artists’ Clothesline Show in June
• Had a booth at the RADCom Art Show in April
• Submitted an entry to Project Water
• Sold ACEOs and greeting cards at Artefino Café and Gallery
• Participated in Art Every Day Month and did something creative every day
• Sold magnets and ornaments at the Fulton Holiday Shoppe to help my nephew’s school
• Took a 3-day workshop with Paul St. Denis

Online

• Redesigned and launched my website: lifeneedsart.com
• Hired someone to handle the website redesign instead of trying to do everything myself. (Thanks, Crystal!) I loaded the images, but she handled all the development and the content. It was such a huge relief to hand the task over to someone else; I almost filed this under Personal Growth. Visit her site here: http://crystalpirri.com
• Blogged on my studio blog 82 times – almost tied with my highest year (85 in 2009)
• Blogged on my ACEO blog 56 times. This is less than 90 in 2009, but I’m good with it.
• Was interviewed on MizKatie.com (thank you!). Check it out:
  http://www.mizkatie.com/2010/02/13/artist-interview-karen-koch/
• Ran Google Adwords campaigns for ACEOs. It was a good learning experience and a first foray into paid advertising.
• Created a Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/lifeneedsart

Personal

• Walked a half marathon – my first!
• Took the Strengths Finder test
• Reset my budget and reduced my living expenses
• Began getting up at 5:30 AM and exercising daily in mid-November. Still at it!
• Set up a blog, Etsy shop, and twitter on VintageOpal.com – places to talk about the process of caring for parents and to destash treasures from their home. Once Mom passed, I’ve had a hard time keeping it up. Painful.