For the first time in a long time, I have had extended time off over the festive season. I was able to spend time with my Mum and dad who visited from Perth for Christmas.  I can honestly say it has been very cathartic. The recent hot weather here in Melbourne meant that my hubby and I spent two days in the aircon, reading, watching a bit of TV and doing mundane things in the house.  It was fabulous!
Each year at the end of the year, I sit down and think about what I would like for the coming year.  I then create a vision board for that year.  This is also the time I tick off what was achieved on the current years vision board.  Except for one bold audacious goal, everything had a tick next to it for 2024.  This was very pleasing to see.
Although, we can start a project, set goals, make plans and move ourselves forward any day of the year, the start of the year seems to be the one most people choose as a line in the sand.
Some of the areas I want to focus on in 2025 to make positive changes are in in the area of my personal and creative life.  Often, we can put areas on hold to focus on another area, which can lead to an imbalance.  So, what does this have to do with art?
Having a balanced life can help in so many ways with your creativity and can open up the portal to success in every area.  I am aiming on spending time catching up with people I didn’t get to spend as much time with as I would have liked to.  I also want to spend more time creating for myself.  It is true I create art with each art class I run, that is my practice sessions so to speak, I mean creating pieces that sing to me.  I want to Spend time experimenting and playing using my sketchbooks.
Now all I must do is fit this in with my planned travel and classes for 2025.  What a great problem to have, don’t you think? 

How do you start the new year? Leave your comments below

Featured photo:  A page from my grid sketchbook "Loose & abstract landscapes" 

Now is the time of year, I sit back and evaluate the year that was.  I look at what worked well, what needs improvement and plans for the following year.  Reflection is a good thing.  It allows us time to look back on the year that was and take stock of the intricacies of where we have been. 
As I sat and evaluated both my personal and professional journey, there were some moments of pure joy and moments of challenges. 
In 2024, hubby and I decided to bite the bullet and get some renovations completed at home.  We had just lost our beautiful fur baby of almost 16 years.  It seemed like the right time to get things done as now it was just the two of us to consider.   
We needed to completely empty the house for the workmen to come in and remove our old flooring and to lay new flooring.  The garage and enclosed patio, also affectionately known as “Art in the Garden Room” were filled with the everything from the house.
Along the way there were a few little hiccups, such as new toilets to be installed which we hadn’t planned.  The dust was unbelievable as the tiles were jackhammered out.  Thank goodness we had our caravan; this became our temporary home for five weeks.   The flooring was finished, and the painters arrived to paint the inside of the house.  They would return a few weeks later to complete the outside.  It was all systems go.
Hubby and I still had both of our businesses to keep going.  As the enclosed patio was filled with our belongings, Creative Circle needed to be moved to another location for a term.  The mid-year Open Studio was put on hold, with only the summer one being held.  
Looking back at my art business, I was pleased to see growth even with the renovations taking up a lot of bandwidth for a period of time. In 2024, I launched the free monthly pain outs.  The first month was just three of us meeting up in a local park.  Although, a very chilly morning, the sun was out, and we had a fabulous time.  Since the first paint out more creatives are joining in as we venture to some of the beautiful locations in the City of Kingston.  
I have been fortunate enough to meet the most amazing creatives along the way and connect with wonderful people.   I have entered several art shows and had my artwork accepted, sold a record number of artworks, and run over 100 classes each year and this is to increase in 2025.
Taking stock of the year that was, now is the time to set up plans for the year that will be.
Do you assess your year?  Do you make plans for the following year?  Leave your comments below.

Featured Artwork:  Unnamed - available in 2025

 I love attending art classes, as a participant.  I get to take the time to be in my own creative head space.  I learn different techniques, mediums and experiment with new ideas.   

One idea that really got me excited was painting using a messy background to create figures and florals. So excited was I that on I continued on with the process and felt a newfound excitement in what I was creating. 
The excitement felt like I was a child back playing, creating and making some really fun art. Before I knew it, I had started to create some really cute gals, they needed names and a story as they came to life before my eyes.

GIven my work is inspired by nature, these classy ladies are a departure to my current works. So why have I called them "Mildred Paints"? I felt child like and free when creating these beauties. well, here is the short story behind it. 

When I was a small child, possibly from a baby, my Dad had a nickname for me.  I don't know where it came from, how he came up with it, but I loved it.  As he did the countdown to throwing me into bed at bedtime, he would call me "Mildred Knickynooker".  I love the name; it brings back memories of me as a child with my Mum and Dad.
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So there you have it, why I have called this series "Mildred Paints". I feel like these gals could be your friends, family member or you....... who knows.  I had so much fun creating them, plus loads of feedback that they made people laugh.  

Mildred Paints was born, bringing colour and playfulness to my art practice. I hope you enjoy them as much as I love creating them.  They are going to be around for a long time. 

Featured Artwork:  Carla and the girls  

Feel free to leave a comment below 

As much as we would love everyone to like our art, it's impossible.  We all have different tastes, budgets and opinions. Did you know if you have an artist in your life, for that matter anyone with a small business, you can still support them, it's not just about the sale. 
Your support is just as important as the sale.
Here are 5 ways to support a small business or the artist in your life. 

Follow the business on the socials. Social media plays an important role in helping to grow the visibility and reach of the artist.  If you share their posts and work, this has a huge impact on them being able to build their community.  Liking, loving and commenting on posts also assists with the algorithms on the different platforms and shows you value their contribution. 

Go to the show. Artists participate in open-call exhibitions, solo exhibitions,  and open studio events.  Attending an artist's show or event is one of the best ways to support them. By showing up you are supporting them, showing you care about them and their work.  There would be nothing worse than going to all the effort of putting on an event and there are very few people in attendance or no familiar friendly faces  as moral support.  

Word of mouth is one of the most valuable forms of advertising.  Talking about your family or artist friend to others is a great way to introduce new people to their art.  Ask if they know the artist, if they don't suggest they look them up, or even better, share a link to the socials. 

Attend an art class.  I am a bit biased on this, as you probably know, I run over a hundred art classes a year.  It's a numbers game when it comes to running classes. Classes going ahead generally come down to the numbers being enough for a class or program to go ahead.  If you have always wanted to join a class, why not enrol for a class?  You never know, you might find your passion for art.

Shop local.  Have you ever been stuck with having to buy a gift for a surprise invitation?  Local artists often have framed artwork ready to go.  Check in on your local artist, to see if they have an artwork to your taste and budget.  If you are local, they may even offer to deliver on the day. 

There you have it, five simple ways to support a local artist, family member or friend.  You will be surprised how much they appreciate your support.  

How do you support your local community, small business or artist?  Comment below. 

​Featured Artwork: Cityscape on the river

The idea of every day being able to paint, create and live a stress free life is a picture of an idyllic world. My mind conjures up an art studio filled with canvases, paint brushes, old furniture and light streaming through an open window with a light breeze playing with the curtains that hang on either side. Ok, then I wake up to reality.  
Having an art business is not all art, there is so much more to running the business. Just like, any small business, you need to wear many hats throughout the day, week and month. Those hats vary from doing accounts, marketing, class planning, resource investigation, purchasing supplies, loading and unloading the car, driving to various venues, preparing and posting social media posts, writing blog posts and working with art class clients for the sessions. Boy, all this, plus more and I haven't even touched a paintbrush. 
I love all the moving parts that come with my art business, every day is varied and full of opposites. Creative to the mundane, silence and seclusion to chatter and people filled rooms.  

Generally, my week is dictated by my diary, where I will be, and what medium we are using in each class. My main priority is preparing for classes, I want to make sure I am prepared for each class, running over 120 classes a year takes a lot of organising. Once the classes are prepared, now I slot in all the other things on my to-do list. Some tasks are daily, some weekly and some monthly, it makes it easier to keep on top of all the little tasks that add up. 

I attend an art class myself, once a week, which helps me to keep developing my art. I also like to schedule my time to create and produce artwork for my open studios twice a year. Now, that is a whole other list.

Being able to block out time to create is so important to me now more than ever. I get to create what I want, and what I love and take my time. I savour every minute that I get to work on a piece that takes my mood and uses the medium that speaks to me on the day.

How do you prioritise your to do list to include creative time? Share your tips below in the comments.