Studio Notes

January in the studio can be slow.  Some artists begin each year by clearing the decks, cleaning and organizing their workspaces. Others are brimming with many new ideas and excited to get back to work after a holiday break but are not sure where to start.  When I want to refocus my art practice anytime of the year and I like to create or join an online challenge.  This gives me accountability, structure and permission to play. To create an online challenge you only need social media, an idea and a hashtag such as #30in30 or #my2021art. Challenges can be any length 21, 30, 100 or even 365. You could even do it daily for years. 

If thats not for you, search for a challenge run by another artist. Sometimes this requires you to sign-up and post your work on a specific site. Using the site you may be able to interact with other artists and give and receive feedback. Months with 30 days such as January and September are popular times for organized challenges. You don't have to limit yourself to the art you practice or even art at all. You could try a new medium, a sketchbook challenge or simply take a photo of your easel day and do a documenting my process challenge. 

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Some of my 2017 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

Whatever you choose, keep it simple and don't worry if you miss a day, just keep going and see what happens.