Yikes! We are past the mid-year point, which means it's time to check my progress on my 2020 Goals. I confess that I was initially nervous about writing this blog post as I've been so focused on Covid-19, that I hadn't given much thought to my goals...or so I thought...
1. Make studio time a weekly priority!
I began the year aiming for 4 or more hours of dedicated studio time each week. This was a challenge January through March when my teaching/travel schedule kept me busy and on the road. I just barely made time to create a wholecloth quilt for all six 1-week challenges as part of Project Quilting Season 11.
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| Whole Lotta Wholecloth Finishes |
But I did carve out some time for some artistic play in January and February including...
Monotype Printing thanks to a wonderful workshop with Lisa Thorpe, followed by several paint & play sessions...
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While each of these series of experiments ignited my creativity, they had to be put on the backburner due to my teaching & travel schedule. Of course, all that changed drastically with Covid-19 which suddenly cleared my schedule for next several months and converted me into an Artist-in-Residence.
I rolled the dice and joined the 100 Day Project...
I think I can safely say that I am definitely making studio time a priority!!
2. Strengthen My FMQing Skills on my Longarm
My Gammill Vision 2.0 arrived in mid-December and there was lots to learn! I stocked up on some threads while attending Road to California in January and drove up to Meissner's Sacramento store in February for two half-day Long Arm classes: Free Motion FUN and Feathers.
At home I continued to get better acquainted with the mechanics, maintenance, threading, loading, and stitching on my Gammill. I continued to practice on several practice sandwiches before quilting several of my larger Michael Miller Brand Ambassador projects.
And I am delighted to share that The Pursuit of Quilting Bliss went on to win the 2nd Place award in the Modern Quilting category of the Virtual Quilt Show, hosted by Gammill!!
At this time I am most comfortable with all over motifs, but will continue to refine my hand guided stitching, especially smaller motifs and those that require travel stitching.
3. Write More for Publication
I am delighted to have two of my articles published in Quilting Arts magazine:
- Pick A Card, Any Card!, Quilting Arts magazine, June/July 2020
- No Math Mandalas, Quilting Arts magazine, August/September 2020
I have another article in the works along with a few other submission ideas swirling around in my head for future publication.
4. Connect/Collaborate with Fellow Artists.
My original vision was to connect with artists while attending gallery openings, artist receptions, networking events, and open studios. While Covid-19 may have thrwarted those opportunities, it has provided me with the time and motivation to actively reach out and connect with other artists via Zoom videoconferencing. Some highlight connections from the past several months include:
- Meeting a new team of Michael Miller Brand Ambassadors
- A surprise studio visit and collaborating on making a block with Rob Appell
- Joining the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) Board of Directors
- Attending SAQA' first Virtual Conference where I connected with artists all over the world!
- Co-hosting virtual coffee breaks for my local quilt guild
- Participating in Craft Industry Alliance Roundtable with other craft business owners adapting to the pandemic
- Participating in SAQA's Friday Chats, including hosting a session!
- Co-hosting our SAQA Local Connections monthly meetings featuring demos, art critiques, and special guests!
- Connecting with California guild reps and teachers through NCQC's series of online Virtual Programming meetings
- Discovering and supporting artists through the 100 Day Project, as well as other artists who are curious about my daily dice designs.
- Meeting with teachers around the world as we are pivoting to the world of online lectures and workshops
- Joining Lyric Kinard's Covichats and Pokey Bolton's What's On Your Wall? Instagram Interviews
Thank goodness for the world of Zoom for making all these wonderful connections possible!!
5. Take More Risks and Accept Failure.
Earlier I shared my creative pursuits with mixed media, wholecloth quilting, long arm quilting, and 100 Day Projects. Each of these experiences have helped me to break out of my creative rut, as well as explore new design possibilities.
By far, the biggest risk I took this year, was transitioning my lectures and workshops into a live, online format for guilds and quilt shows starting back in April. Agreeing to teach for Gammill's Virtual Quilt Show and Mancuso's Online Quilt Festival provided me with the nudge I needed to figure out the technology and equipment needed for online teaching.
Of course there were plenty of other behind-the-scenes changes that needed to be made in nearly every facet of my business: create a new contract, online banking, marketing, supply lists, and pre-workshop communications. But all these efforts were well worth it as it meant I could resume doing what I absolutely love to do: Teach and Inspire!!
Speaking of inspiring others, here are two projects in the works:
1. I am teaching 3 live, online workshops for the August Online Quilt Festival. Workshop registration is open and there are a few openings in each class...but hurry as my classes all sold out for the June show!!
2. I am working on a 3-part blog series about Online Opportunities for the Quilting Community which will outline many of the wonderful benefits and resources available to quilters, quilt guilds/groups, and teachers for going online with programming and events! I hope you will join me later this week and next week for this information packed series of blog posts.
I am truly delighted with my progress on my 2020 goals and look forward to continued progress over the next 5 months. I am linking up with Quilting JetGirl's 2020 Mid Year Check In...
I will be sure to report back at the end of 2020. Until then, please stay healthy, safe, and creative!
Wow, Mel, I'm glad you took the time to reflect on your year, and it's awesome that even with all the change and pivoting you have had to do for your business that you have met or exceeded basically all of your goals! I have enjoyed seeing your 100 day projects on Instagram, and I hope that you continue to take more risks and find more success and reasons to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the friendly mid-year reminder to check in and see how things are progressing. While I have had to shift focus quite a bit, I am glad most changes continued to align with my goals for this year. I still have some areas to pursue over the next few months...including taking more risks!
DeleteSounds like a very productive year despite having to figure out new ways of working. Congratulations
ReplyDeleteIn some ways this helped shake things up in a good way and I am very thankful for the many silver linings that have resulted from this year.
DeleteWow that's a lot for just the first half of 2020! Familiarity with virtual technology is absolutely required to navigate life with Covid-19 in pretty much every area of life. You've done a lot with the shift in your schedule for the year. Good luck with the rest of your 2020 goals.
ReplyDeleteThank you...it certainly has been a whirlwind few months with all the changes...but I truly think they are changes that are for the best and will be in place for several months/years to come. Cheers to what the remainder of 2020 inspires!
DeleteI admire the way you committed to teaching and your adaptability in the face of each challenge. You are an inspiration as a teacher, quilter, and person!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I appreciate all the support and encouragement from the quilting community, my fellow teachers, and all those who served as guinea pigs as I learned the ins and outs of Zoom meetings!! It has been a huge change, but lots of silver linings along the way!
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