January: Planning Ahead
Hi everyone! I can’t believe that it is already that last Sunday of the month. Is it just me or has the time gone really, really fast? This month has been full to the brim with catching up with friends and family, starting new projects and beginning the next module of my MA.
I wanted to talk about something that I did around this time last year, that (without me realising it) has really helped me out over the course of the year. I’ve interspersed this blog post with totally unrelated photos from January, as there’s not realllly any pictures that fit - hope this is OK!
In January/ February last year, I knew that I wanted to start thinking about making an online shop and sharing my work in different ways. I felt excited about sharing my art in a way that felt a bit more personal than Instagram. The thing was that I had lots of ideas buzzing around my brain and I felt like I couldn’t pin any of them down. It felt a bit like a cycle of having an idea, having a new idea and loosing the old ones - a bit like juggling but with loads of oddly-shaped balls that keep dropping all over the place. Then there was the fear of actually doing the thing, or putting yourself out there in a new way.
I know that this has been done before, but last January, I made an enormous mind map of all the possible things that I might, maybe one day want to make or do, (even the things that felt a bit imposter syndromey and far out of reach), and stuck it above my desk.
I think sometimes, using tried and tested methods to get stuff down on paper can be really helpful. Initially, making the mind map helped me by:
Actually allowing myself to accept or say, yes, this (idea) is something I would like to make or do.
Writing ideas down helped to make a bit of a stop-gap between it being in my brain and actually doing the thing. It felt safer than plunging straight in, but more of a step forward than keeping the idea in my head.
It felt like a safe space to imagine what could be possible.
And, the more I wrote down, the more ideas I had and the more I added to the mind map.
This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. I’ve made mind maps in the past, then folded them up and put them somewhere ‘safe’ never to be looked at again. I think that part of the magic of this particular mind map, was that I stuck it up on the wall above my desk where I saw it every day.
It meant that the things I wanted to make or do were visible and always there, reminding me what I had set out to do and bringing me back to my original ideas. I had also let myself put down some of the potentially scary stuff that I secretly really wanted to do, like starting a shop or writing a blog. Things that the fear had sometimes stopped me even thinking about. I had to look at and be reminded of those ideas too, and the more I looked at them, the less scary they became.
One of the biggest, scariest things on my mind map was starting a Patreon. It’s taken me a little while, but I made an account at the start of this month and published it about a week ago. I feel so excited to be able to share more of what I’m doing and making, I’ll share a little bit more about what Patreon is below.
This January, I’m doing my planning a little bit differently. I’m making another mind map, I’m still sticking it on my wall, but I’ve also organised my thoughts into ‘quarterly goals’. To me, this sounds fancy but all it meant was that I split an A4 sheet of paper into 4 parts and decided which months I was going to make or do different things. This also helped me think about working around my MA and being prepared for the busier winter months. I’m curious, do you have anything that’s helped you to plan or visualise what you want to do?
A little bit more about Patreon
What is Patreon?
Patreon is a place where I will be sharing exclusive, behind the scenes sneak peeks, painting and process videos, and sketchbook tours. I’ll take you drawing with me and let you know what I’ve been working on. I love sharing glimpses into what I’ve been working on and thinking about on Instagram and the blog, but I am so excited to be able to share a bit more over on Patreon.
Patreon works through creating a membership. For £5 a month you will have access to everything, For £3 a month, I’ll share weekly behind the scenes updates with you as a thank you for your support. Once you sign up, you’ll be charged on that same day each month. There is no contract so you can cancel at any time.
Thanks so much for reading this far and supporting the blog, I hope you have lovely month ahead and I’ll see you here on the last Sunday in February!
Lucy x