Happiest of brand new years to you all, ladies and gentlemen of the ever present internet. I'm starting the year in a pretty good state of mind, with opportunities ahead and difficulties passed. I probably said it before, but let's avoid the tangents today and take a look at some purely artistic goals for the coming year.
Over the last few weeks I've done the yearly clean-up that involved going through everything I have and basically getting rid of everything I don't need, and discovering all the things I'd forgotten. I have a drafting table in my office, which I love using to draw and doodle away, but it's spent a lot of time covered in boxes and papers, because it's an open surface to put things on. Thankfully I can now look over to my right and see an empty table with nothing more than a couple of sketchbooks and a cutting mat.
It could seem paltry, but without creating an encouraging environment, can we really be expected to encourage ourselves into action? Probably; but I always prefer to have the door open when the mood takes me. Having a clear drawing table with papers and tools within arm's reach is exciting, as I know that whenever inspiration strikes I can wheel my comfy chair on over there and get to it.
What's more, I can say the same for the painting space I have cleared in another room. I was lucky enough to receive a beautiful new studio easel for Xmas, which now occupies a permanent space for painting fancies. I've never had this before and always found myself painting on the ground or spread out on tables that would need to be cleared quickly to make way for their day-to-day use. Now I have a spot to plonk a canvas, or a bit of cardboard, and leave it there until I'm done with it. Just like the drawing table, this is exciting to me, as it means I have a surface ready to receive colour, and boxes of paints within reach. When inspiration strikes, there's nothing standing between the thought and practical realisation.
To a lesser extent, I went through all my sketchbooks and reorganised them. Now I know which ones are full to the brim, and which have space waiting for their images to appear. Along with some other general tidying and organising, I now exist in a space that is ripe for productive creativity. I truly am in a lucky position that all these opportunities are surrounding me, ready to be activated at a moment's notice.
None of this guarantees results though, which is always rattling around in the back of my mind. In fact, for some strange reason, I've developed a small sense of worry about creating anything at all right now. More than the normal levels of anxiety anyway.
Not to get too inside out, but I think it's just my nervous system reacting to some dramatic changes that I've been making to my physiological self as well. To cut it short, I'm basically healthier than I have been in a while, so it's taken a bit of adjustment to get used to a healthier diet and lifestyle. I still have a long way to go, but I feel like I've nailed the hardest part: getting started.
I'm now in a habit of eating better and spending more time moving around and being active, so I just need to wait for my body to catch up. I won't be too impatient though, as I've neglected any support I could have provided for so long that it's bound to be a difficult transition.
However, the relevance of this inconsequential notation is that I always find that my mind is directly influenced by my body, and vice-versa. When I'm feeling physically on point, my head clears up and the creativity flows. At the same time when I'm feeling sluggish and lazy, my brain kind of shuts off and hangs up a "back in 5" sign.
Thus, I'm looking forward to the creative possibilities ahead. Not only am I living in an environment that ready for an art attack at the drop of a hat, but my own personal environment is cleaning itself as well. As nauseating as it can be to say: it feels great and I'm thoroughly keen on getting stuck in on 2018.
I've also developed a few goals relating to non-graphical creativity that I aim to pursue over the year. Namely I think I'd like to work on some more writing in a few different ways. I started this blog because I enjoy writing, but I didn't realise just how much I enjoy it before getting into the rhythm of writing regularly here. It's really highlighted the fact that this is something I get a real kick out of doing, so I figure why not do it some more.
Although having said all that, I'm not sure that you'll hear me talk much about writing things, so don't hold your breath. I already have a big project underway that started a long time ago, so I'll no doubt aim to finish that one first. However, I learned the hard way that I really don't like talking about half-finished projects, as I find it hard to eloquently explain what I'm spending so much time on. I've had many awkward conversations with well-meaning people who have been interested in hearing more, but I've failed and been unable to articulate thoughts while they're in the process of forming. It's just one of those weird things, but maybe I'll make mention of projects when they're complete and available to all.
So here I am coming up to the one year anniversary of this blog, which is actually something I'm pleased to look back on. For the most part I've managed to keep at it regularly and I've been able to explore a lot of internal trains of thought that have been useful throughout the last year. It's been great to write about cool games and scan doodles every week, even if it means nothing to anyone else but me.
In fact, I'd say definitely keep an eye out for more content in the coming year. I can't deny how much pleasure I get from tapping out these words on the regular - and right now I'm all about increasing pleasure to balance out suffering. After all, that's the definition of "abatage", and I've held that moniker for a long time now.
Thanks for having a read now and then, and even sending me a comment or some feedback along the way. It kind of makes it a little more interesting to know that maybe somewhere, someone might read these words. Knowing that I've shared a thought with someone else is always a thrill to me, so bring on the future. Let's create some awesome shit!