I am currently taking a year off from teaching art in a traditional classroom. I am lucky to have this year off because it has allowed me to focus on my family and my art as we work on relocating to a new part of the country - a process which has taken longer than we anticipated. As I prepare to return to the art classroom in the fall of 2022, I want to keep the momentum I have with my daily art routine. I find so much joy in making something every day; I want to make sure to continue that practice as my schedule gets busier.
To keep my art practice going, I plan to keep things very simple. I have started implementing simple daily routines that I can continue with once this year off from teaching is complete.
One way I plan to simplify is to focus on one subject. That subject (at least for now) is going to be flowers. I never get bored of drawing and painting flowers (I've talked about it before) and I think a daily practice of flower art is a really good place to start. I know this is something I can keep up with everyday.
I started focusing on flowers in the beginning of 2022 and ever since I began I have been able to keep up with the routine everyday. Flowers will be a large part of my100 Day Project, which starts in mid-February. I'll talk more about my100 Day idea in a future post, but you can read about my project last year here. Last year my idea was a bit more complicated - this year I will be keeping it nice and simple.
My focus on flower art has me creating all kinds of new artworks including teeny, tiny paintings on polymer clay disks. I then turn those clay circles into earrings and sell them through my Etsy shop. Painting on something so small requires me to slow down and take my time. I find it very relaxing. (Read more about my idea behind these flower earrings at the end of this post).
I'm also working on a flower themed children's book character (she loves pancakes and pansies, puzzles and prancing - please stay tuned for more). I hope we can find her a full time job by the fall as well.
So in mental preparation for a busier fall 2022, flowers is the answer to all of my questions. Feeling stressed? Draw flowers. What should I sell? Paint flowers. Try something new? Flowers, flowers, flowers. Come back here to follow along with my 100 Day Project, which will involve lots of lovely flowers and their plant and gardener friends.
Until then, if you're looking for me, I'm enjoying the rest of my bonus year of family time, spending lots of time making flower art, and keeping it simple in the art room. I know by practicing my routines now, I will be prepared to find joy in the art classroom (as I always do), while being able to maintain a successful art business with all the fabulous flowers I can create.
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P.S. - The Idea Behind the Earrings - I did a training last year with one of the top art teachers in the state of Virginia. We were all teaching online at the time (in fact the training itself was online) and he suggested we jazz up our wardrobe while on camera to keep the students engaged and entertained. He even said sometimes he throws a new accessory on or a Hawaiian shirt mid-way through class to keep the kids on their toes.
Ever since that training, I've been trying out different hair accessories, funky earrings, even more brightly colored shirts than I normally wear. It's been fun. And I continue to wear these flashy, fun items even though I'm not teaching and I'm on screen a lot less than I was at this time last year. Shoulders up accessories are a fun way to entertain via zoom, but also a great way to make a sweat suit more special.
My painted polymer clay earrings came from this idea that we can jazz up our appearance in that little zoom box, but they're also a simple way to spice up any outfit. Each earring is different and hand painted. So no two earrings are the same - even in the same set. The color schemes are similar, but each individual earring will have different flowers or designs on them. They're colorful and eye catching. People won't be able to take their eyes off you.
I'm curious to know if this is something you find yourself doing now that you're on screen more than ever before? Have you tried any new fashions inspired by the pandemic?