Hey friends! It's nearly the end of January and I have three sketchbook pages and one linocut print to show for it. Last year this would have brought me feelings of shame, but I’m embracing rest this year. All of last year was just an exercise in endurance and I have no desire to repeat living through burnout again. I made a list of priorities for 2024, and I am happy to say that if January is any indication, I am setting myself up for a manageable pace this year. 
As I write this, my 19 y.o. is hanging out in the art studio, working on his own thing and we're listening to Sleep Token. If you had asked me 20 years ago what successful parenting looks like, I don't know that I would have answered this moment right here, but that's the answer now. It's weird to be in this stage of parenting, but in the best possible way. 
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I'm back to working on the North American animal print series. I've got reference images for the next four prints ready to go, but last night my brain decided to suggest starting on an animal I don't have any reference materials for. Now I'm at the crossroads of "save that for later" and "put things on hold to chase this new idea," and honestly, I'm not a fan. I can't be the only person with shiny object syndrome, right?  

Well hello 2024! 
I spent the last week of 2023 in full hibernation mode and honestly, I suggest that we all adopt this method of living. I watched tv, I made art, we had funnel cake for dinner, and I napped whenever I felt like napping. I also did some deep thinking about the highs & lows of 2023 (hello, surprise depression!); and what I'd like to put my focus on in 2024. 
I decided that the order of attention would include more time for art and more time outside and a focus on what brings me a sense of satisfaction. And I know that laundry still needs doing and dinner still needs to be made, but there's no rule that says I can't infuse the mundane with joy. 
I hope you all have a wonderful first quarter of 2024.