Shifting Gears, Again
Hello 2025. I have to admit, I’m feeling a bit anxious going into this year. There seems to be a growing swell of doom everywhere you look, and frankly I’ve been struggling with feeling like making art is an essential activity in the midst of it all.
And yet.
When I need to feel hope for the world and humanity, I look to art. A favourite song, a thoughtful film, a stroll through a gallery. Some sort of creative play with my niece and nephew, who are now 7 and 11 and always up for a creative challenge.
I’ve had hundreds of conversations over the past 12 years about my own art, and how it makes people feel. I know how it makes me feel to create it, and then to have those interactions with viewers. It feels.. healing. Connecting. Joyful. And if those things aren’t essential, I’m not sure what is.
So as we sit at the doorway of what promises to be a challenging year, I’m setting clear intentions. This isn’t new for me, but sharing them publicly is not something I often do. Back in November, I participated in a pop-up shop with over a dozen local artists - the name of the shop was The Lighten Up. The idea was to find homes for older work that wasn’t being shown much anymore, and it was great. It felt great. And so I’m bringing this theme into the New Year as a guiding concept. To “Lighten Up” in all sorts of ways.
Here are some of my intentions for 2025:
I will be less critical of myself, and of humanity in general
I will deliberately seek out people, events, situations, information, etc. that are hopeful, positive, supportive, and joyful
I will leave my comfort zone
I will schedule creative play dates, alone and with others
I will change my relationship with social media, so that I don’t dread and resent it
I will consistently approach darkness (in politics, climate issues, humanity, etc.) with lightness, and work hard to be joyful and to spread joy. This will almost never be easy, and will always be very important
I will restart my daily meditation practice, which will make all of the above easier
After only a week, I can feel a physical shift within myself. I feel energetic and optimistic.. excited to see what beauty I can find, create, and share over the coming months. I’m especially excited to see what this shift will look like in my artwork :)
Wishing you a year of Lightness and Joy..
xo
Jessica