2019 in creations
an artistic retrospective on 2019
a collection of everything I created this year, because it’s too easy to feel like the year went by and I didn’t do enough. all in all, I’m pleased with both the output and the process. I wrote about the insights from the process in this post: 2019 in Growth. displayed below is the output. not displayed: all the existential turmoil, angst, struggle, agony, bad weather, rolling on the floor, tears. use your imagination.
January
I swallowed the fear of sharing my words and started posting my writing online — beginning with this essay, tango addiction. I also wrote a long journal post reflecting on how I got here: the art of finding my path.
photo by Steven Thull @thetangomoment
February
I opened an online art shop to sell prints of my work. It didn’t sell as well as I was hoping — then again, I really detested doing the marketing and promotion work necessary. I was forcing myself to post on Instagram regularly and really didn’t enjoy it. I remember feeling quite discouraged.
March
I painted a lot. Simple and moody paintings of flowers, nature, the ocean. All the paintings were born from a feeling in me. I found the place where paintings would emerge with just a light tug. I restarted my newsletter, and began writing intimate letter-essays about the artist life, beginning with this one: naked and real, about a photoshoot I did with Paul Goode.
April
I started this project, Poetry as Prayer, where I’d paint a small painting to accompany a poem I loved, and then record myself reading the poem out loud, commenting on it. I lost interest in this project after poem #16, but by that time, I had already reaped the benefits of a daily painting habit. Spring came and left. I fell in love with painting minimalist flowers.
May
I was invited to show my work at an arts market hosted by a dancer/choreographer, DZ.Maciel, who was performing a dance-theater piece about negotiating needs in relationships. Our talks inspired me to create this illustration series, Hands in Relationship.
By May, I had written and posted four tango essays: tango therapy, tango love, tango theatre, tango addiction. I somehow worked up the guts to ask a friend, James Oh, if I could do a reading at his tango event, LOCA. Before the event, I stayed up all night designing, printing, and binding a small booklet of my tango essays.
I also made a moon calendar. I reflected on the first six months in a blog post — 30 lessons I learned from art / business / life.
June
I booked a ticket to Amsterdam to force myself to finish and hand deliver a copy of this book, Spaceship Earth, to an old friend/client, for whom I’ve been working on this book (on and off) for three years. I ended up staying a month in Europe. I wrote travel letter-essays to my mailing list about Paris, Barcelona, and Amsterdam.
July
I returned to New York. I built, printed, launched, and sold a paper-art product about building morning routines— the morning care kit. The morning routine is something I’ve been flexibly religious about since 2015.
August
I created this series of line art, Our Paths Crossing, about the ongoingness of relationships.
September
I made the decision to travel in 2020. I refocused on pursuing client work. I reflected more deeply on the kind of work I wanted to do, and for who. I centered in on building identities and websites for artists, teachers, and healers. I wrote about a trip to the Berkshires and the airbnb I stayed at, and I called the essay the house of worldly things.
October
I spent most of the month printing Spaceship Earth books, and packing up my apartment. I posted an essay about a 4 day sailing trip I went on in September— the world seen from sea.
November
I made the transition to living out of a suitcase. I reduced my workspace to just a backpack. I take a break with my art work to focus on clients, and general life maintenance. I send out a long email to my newsletter announcing my 2020 plans. I launch a patrons program for my work.
December
I did client work, traveled with my family, and slept a lot. I sent out postcards to my first group of patrons, and set intentions for 2020.
… and onwards
well, that was my year. how was yours?
thank you friend, for visiting my little home on the internet. i’d love to hear from you, so email me and tell me about yourself. or, you can sign up for my mailing list, where I send a monthly-ish digest about my work and travels.