2020 Reflections

I keep thinking I should have known - I sliced my hand open at midnight last year trying to open a bottle of sparkling cider and was trying to bandage myself up in the bathroom while everyone else toasted to the new year. What a metaphor, right?

2020 was a mess of complicated intersections. I’ll just say that I’m grateful for my husband, my family, friends, my art community, and of course, my therapist.

My 20 for 2020 list was revamped and shifted. I got a few things started, and am adding their continuation to my 2021 list. I also did a lot of things that weren’t on my list, that ended up being important. Like, my boundary-setting skills got a ton of practice, haha. I got to manage an experimental collaborative community art project. My husband and I had a lot of fun playing Animal Crossing together.

I described my experience of a lot of this past year as “having low bandwidth” - this was sort of something I’ve been building up for the past 5 years, and the pandemic + my day job + all the intersections really pulled that back again. I’m hoping to gain some more of that bandwidth back this year. This is why my word/phrase of the year for 2021 is going to be resilience. I thought about how cliche that is, given 2020, but for me, it’s much more than just a superficial come back to like, eating inside a restaurant… Resilience is built into my 21 for 2021 list, and in my 2021 business plans, so it seemed like the perfect word to guide this year overall.

January What?!

Where did last month even go?

My dad used to tell me that time only went faster and faster as you got older. HE WAS RIGHT. Apparently year 38 doubles down?

Between illness and family things, I feel like I haven’t spent much time on my projects.

HOWEVER - I have gotten into the studio in little bits, submitted work to multiple opportunities, and taken lots of notes. I spent time at a home show for my day job, and found some artists there. We bought a piece from Katrina Vogel and hung it in the living room.

Speaking of hanging, I helped hang the Women’s Work show at You Are Here, which was a great experience, it had been a while since I’d hung an entire room full of art for an exhibition, and Phoebe Walczak at You Are Here was a delight to work with! The show was great!

I didn’t get to record the new podcast episode for the Dynamic Feminine yet, but I managed to work on more than a few things on my 20 for 2020 list:

• We got a treadmill, so I’ve been walking more.

• I’ve worked on getting 20 good rejections, so far they have either been accepted or I’ve not heard back yet. I’m feeling excited about the opportunities that this is bringing!

• Ran a marketing campaign (towards growing my email list - it’s gotten me more scam emails so IDK)

• Did preliminary research on multiple things on my list - reading, listening to podcasts, writing, observing, planning…

I’m also feeling pretty good about how I’ve handled the pop-up demands on my time and energy: like, family needs, or OH CRAP, I need something to wear this weekend and have to go shopping (I don’t have spoons for that!), or getting a new doctor this month and dealing with some urgent health things. I also started a personal Instagram because I’m missing my friends and family on my feed @jenpalmerart. So now, you can find my personal account (sure to be full of my animals and family) on Instagram @hey_jenny_wren. Keeping connected with people I love is the reason behind my wanting to get my addresses and birthdays in order, so this was a step in the same direction.

Curate is definitely the appropriate word for the year! What are you doing to embrace your passions, goals, or theme of the year?

How was your January? Let me know in the comments or send me a message <3