It’s that time of year again, when we start to think about where we’ve been and where we might be going in the months ahead.
I both love and don’t really love this time. I do love to look back over the year just gone, because I’m always surprised to see I did more than I thought, but another part of me resists the idea of planning ahead into next year.
However, with a business to run, and a growing inventory of paintings and creative dreams, I find it is actually helpful to create a soft and flexible framework to guide me in the coming months. The creative mind often resists structure, but we also know that total freedom can be just as daunting, if not more so.
So we walk a tightrope {sometimes falling off, in my case, and perhaps yours!} between the two, sometimes feeling we’re totally on it, sometimes flailing about in the dark and the chaos. Such is the life of an artist!
To make it all a bit easier and more focused in a lighthearted and fun way, I started making a ‘non planner’ – a short series of pages that offered a container for noting down significant events and experiences of the past twelve months, and to project forward in a relaxed way to the year about to arrive.
Each year it gets marginally more sophisticated, although I am not brilliant with the graphic design and technical side of things so sometimes there are charming quirks to the whole endeavour. 🙂
Anyway, I find it helpful, and having made it freely available to anyone who would like to use it, I’ve observed that others do too. If you’d like a copy, simply click the button below to download this year’s ‘non planner’.
A few thoughts on how to approach it
Sometimes creating a little ritual or intentional space around the process can really help to focus your mind and reinforce the importance of your creative life to you.
I like to light a candle, make a coffee, perhaps put on some soothing music {current fave}, and get out my calendar so I can go through month by month what I did, what I felt worked, what didn’t, and so on. I also refer to my blog post archive and Instagram to remind me what I’ve been up to.
Afterwards I always feel satisfied; it’s so worth spending a little time on this, even if the extent of your ‘planning’ for next year is ‘make more art’.
And if you’d like to share how you use it on Instagram, feel free to use the #happyartistmovement hashtag and tag me @taraleaver.
Love it! Add the missing hyphen and I will love it even more!☺ Non-Planner ❤
Lol!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tara. You have no idea how much this post and this Non-Planner (I like the name a lot, actually!) are helpful to me right now. You have taken a huge load off my mind!
Ah you’re very welcome Christa! So glad.
Thanks Tara. When I try to crowd any reminders about art onto my family/business planner they tend to get lost or pushed aside. So this non-planner is just what I need!!! Downloaded and printed off beautifully. Looks great. Will let you know how I get on.. Fond regards
Yes I find keeping them separate helps, at least at first. Then anything that I know is definitely happening can go into the general calendar. So glad it printed well – had to make some tweaks after the first go so that’s good that they worked!
Thank you so much, Tara! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and non-planning going forward. Looking forward to improving my non-planning skills with the help of your generous gift.
You’re most welcome Jennifer!
Looks great Tara and just what I need. Thanks for making it freely available. Will keep you posted on how I do with it.
My pleasure! Enjoy. 🙂
Tara, thank you so much for this. I think 2017 was a year of upheaval for many of us, plenty of endings, and many good new beginnings. You are right about the importance of taking the time to see how far we actually came when we didn’t think we were doing much at all. The Unplanner is a really nice way to channel it all into something that makes sense as we begin the process of the good work we know is ahead in 2018 and beyond.
Oh Unplanner! That’s good. 🙂 I do find it so affirming to take the time to look back and realise all the things I did that support my creative life. Hope you find it helpful Elizabeth!
Tara, you’ve done it again! (Provided the tool I needed at this moment) I’ve just finished getting entries ready for a local annual exhibition, a huge undertaking because of my inexperience. Anyway, while recovering my breath, a review and a Sort-of-Plan for 2018 is most appropriate. As I listed my art learnings for 2017 I was stunned by the amount of work I’ve done this year… OK, I knew I was art obsessed, but seeing each new achievement in black and white and on paper is really satisfying. Something to go back to and draw inspiration from next time I feel I’m getting nowhere.One of the things I’ve discovered about art is that it never goes to plan.There are always so many roads to follow, byways that you never dreamed existed or could come your way.I’m not going to share my Unplanner with you.. It covers several pages. But now I have the focus I’ve needed so badly for a long time and, since it’s written down, it is a reminder so I can’t forget my aims. Thankyou!
So glad it’s useful for you Linley! I know what you mean about it being so satisfying to see it all in black and white – I think that’s really important actually as part of not just enjoying but also accepting and celebrating ourselves as artists, however that looks for each of us. And congratulations on the exhibition!
Thank you for your generous planner, Tara! Looking forward to settling in for some reflection with your prompts.
All the best for the new year in your new home. So enjoy seeing the beautiful shoreline on Instagram.
Christine Royal
Most welcome Christine! And thank you. 🙂