Lesa Barry's Journey through Artland

A final Post for 2012

I can't believe it's New Year's Eve! This year went by so quickly. As I sit here and write this post I think back to what progress I have made with my art and it brings a little smile to my face.
I had big plans for 2012 and my art, the problem was life gets in the darn way! So many things I wanted to do but didn't get done. If only if!  I am going to be nice to myself and not focus on what I didn't do but what I did do.

• Joined Life Book 2012 willowing.ning.com

This was an amazing year long class with amazing teachers and a great group of people to share your art and life with.  I have signed up for 2013 and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to learn from some great teachers and have some fun.

• Entered into my first juried art show @ Evergreen State Fair

So this was a scary one for me but I did it. I entered three pieces and all three received first place! I was even asked to do a demo at the fair.  That was so much fun, people walking up watching me paint and asking me questions. I loved it.

• Said goodbye to heading up the Art Docent program for my Son's elementary school.

After chairing the Art Docent position for over 4 years it was time to let it go and focus on making art myself and working towards my goals that I set.  I am still an art docent in Jackson's class and I am getting ready to work with the kiddo's on their projects for Gallery Night and the school auction.  I will be posting pictures of the art pieces we will be working on and how we did it. They are a second grade class but the project can be done by any age. Say tuned for the lesson and plan.

• Started my Blog

This is new to me and not as easy as I thought it would be to keep posting. Again life gets in the way and I didn't post as much as I wanted to but I did post some. Goal for 2013 a weekly post.

• Finished the dining room remodel

Started in August and are almost finished at the end of December!  Mike and I put in new floors, painted it a sunny yellow, added new window treatments and a new chandelier.  I am putting the finishing touches up and putting away the china. Oh, and the new dining room remodel is all because Mike's Grandma gave me her china. It's amazing! It didn't go well with what I had before so I had to change everything to make them work! ha.

• I worked very hard on giving up "Perfection"

My Perfectionist rears her ugly head in almost everything I do.  This year I worked so hard on letting go of everything has to be perfect.  The thing that got me was watching my boys with their homework, art, music, sports and most everything they were doing they would be struggling with not being perfect!  It broke my heart to see the boys stress so hard with making things just right that it honestly freaked me out! I knew I had to make a change or my boys were going to end up as an Adult like me never happy with what she gets or does because she is always striving for perfection. 
Have you ever read any books by Dr. Kevin Leman?  http://www.drleman.com/store/The Birth Order book was the first one I read.  It was such an enlighting book on how our birth order in our family can effect how we act and view life.  Being a first born, from an unhealthy family has caused me to be a perfectionist and many other little quirks in life.
Watching my boys and older daughters struggle with perfection and other things really made me want to set a good example for them and the first thing I needed to get over was having to be PERFECT!
I will say just letting that go has been amazing! Now it's not like the perfectionist wakes up but when she does I can recognize it and I put her right back to sleep.
Jackson's teacher has a great saying that we use in our house and that is, " Practice makes Permanent"  Another one by Tony Horton, " Do your best and forget the rest" These are words that my family and I are doing our best to live by.

• Taught my first after school art class at Maywood Elementary. I had over 60 kids in two classes and boy I learned what worked and what didn't.  I am looking forward to doing this again this year and I am hoping to do a mini summer workshop out back in my studio. 

These are just some highlights of 2012.  After putting together tons of goals for 2012 I realized thanks to my Husband that I am a baby step kind of girl. I can't and won't jump in head first into anything in life and that is OK as long as I am progressed towards my goals. 

So what am I putting on my bucket list for 2013?  MORE BABY STEPS!

• Continue making art
• teach a few art classes for kids
• write in my blog every Friday night
• open up an Esty shop.
• working on my skills by taking online classes like Life Book.
• Exercising! That has been something I have been lacking in and I really need to take care of myself.  3 days a week to start. Not too hard to do right?
• Writing up and posting the art lessons I do in the classroom.
• Continue working on not being a perfectionist.
• Enter another juried art show
• send in some art to Somerset Studio in hopes to be published! Even a little spot would make my year!
• spending more quality time with my family.  Less working on the house and more time spent hiking, exploring and creating with my family.

So with baby steps I will strive to do my best to accomplish some if not all of my goals for 2013.
What are you goals? I would love to hear from you about what you wish to accomplish this coming new year!

Take care and HAPPY NEW YEAR!