2020 Wrap Up and Reflections

It took some extra time to reflect upon the past year. Without further ado, here is my recap of my creative highlights and progress on my annual goal setting. 

Let's start by revisiting my progress on my 2020 Goals:

1. Make studio time a weekly priority! 

On a positive note, sheltering-in-place certainly made it easier for me to incorporate more studio time into my weekly (and almost daily) schedule!! My studio served as a space for creating, logging into Zoom meetings/events, video studio to promote, present, and teach online lectures/workshops, and even a yoga studio to continue my daily practice! I managed to complete two 100 Day Projects on schedule: 100 Days of Dice Designs and 100 Days of Dice Doodles. And I sure had fun inviting y'all into my studio while teaching, lecturing, and doing virtual studio tours for my guild, Mancuso's Online Quilt Festival, and Instagram.

2. Strengthen My FMQing Skills on my Longarm

With patience and practice, I gained increased comfort and confidence quilting large quilts on my longarm machine. While I may need to occasionally refer to my manual/video for threading the machine and bobbin winder, I am much more efficient loading a new quilt (and draw less blood thanks to switching from using corsage pins to the Red Snapper system), using the various settings, experimenting with different threads, and gauging number of bobbins needed for each quilt. While most of my quilts have been stitched with some of my favorite filler designs, I am working towards more custom quilting. A total of 9 quilts were quilted, with one going on to earn 2nd Place at the Virtual Quilt Show. 

3. Write More for Publication

Two of my articles were 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

A third article was submitted and written in December, and was published today by the Craft Industry Alliance: Build Confidence and Learn to Think Quickly on Your Feet with Comedy Improv Classes. 

And there is a fourth article that has been submitted, which will be published in another month or two. I will be sure to share more information once the article has been published!

4. Connect/Collaborate with Fellow Artists

Thanks to Zoom for making it possible to connect with so many fabulous artists this year! My calendar quickly filled up with weekly Textile Talks; small quilt group meetings, coffee breaks and guild meetings with fellow SCVQA members; connecting with SAQA members all around the world through weekly/monthly Live Chats, Local Connections and Regional meetings; adapting to online programming with NCQC guild reps and teachers; showcasing online lectures and workshops through the Global Quilt Connection Meet the Teachers events; online interviews with Lyric Kinard and Pokey Bolton; and staying inspired by attending various museum/gallery tours and receptions. I've been so impressed at how the Fiber Art/Quilting community has created these online connections and have supported their efforts by joining as a member.

Additionally, participating in the 100 Day Project connected me with artists all over the world working in all different mediums! 

5. Take More Risks and Accept Failure 

Pivoting early to online teaching was the biggest risk that ultimately led to many successes this year! It took some time to figure out the technology and equipment, but it was well worth my effort and time as there are so many positive aspects to this online world!! As an early adapter, I became an industry leader as I helped guilds, groups, and fellow teachers to adapt to using Zoom. I taught a total of 33 workshops (5 In Person/28 Online), presented 26 lectures (5 In Person/21 Online), led several demos, and joined several large events including Virtual Quilt Shows (April and November), 3 Online Quilt Festivals with Mancuso Show Management, Virtual Quilt Festival-Machine Quilting Forum II, and Quilters Take a Moment. Plus I launched two new programs: Design with Dice and Road Map for Online Teaching. The online format also provided me with the opportunity to revisit all my lectures and workshops and make several changes to enhance the learning experience for participants.

Other 2020 Highlights:

• I joined the SAQA Board of Directors in March and gained a deeper appreciation for all that this organization does on a global level to promote the Art Quilt!
• My taped segments with Quilting Arts TV aired during the Spring and Summer as part of the 2500 and 2600 series.
• I finished 12 Medium/Large Quilt Projects (10 of which were made as part of my 2nd year of participation in the Michael Miller Brand Ambassador Program)

• And I completed 12 Small/Mini Projects (Michael Miller Fabrics, Project Quilting, and Artwork to Benefit SAQA)

• Increased my online presence including:
• 57 Blog Posts (you can check out my 5 Best of 2020 Blog Posts)
• Lots of Instagram posts (you can check out my Top Nine 2020 Instagram Posts (as selected by all your likes)
• 12 fun monthly newsletters (which welcomed lots of new subscribers--thank you!)
• Grew as an Artist and Teacher through my participation in:
• Artistic Development Workshops: Ruler Foot Quilting on a Domestic Machine, Monoprinting, Captivating Compositions (which got me hooked on hand embroidery!), Kawandi Quilts, and a Line, Squiggle, Dot Mark Making class!
• Professional Development workshops: Virtual Quilt Market, Get Your $hit Together for Working Artists, Dump Your Brain to increase productivity, Planning for 2021...just to name a few.
• Weekly Comedy Improv Zoom sessions to continue my improv studies.

I am so incredibly thankful for these creative outlets and communities--as they truly helped keep me sane in light of all the craziness of these past 9-10 months. Thank you for being part of my creative world and for inspiring me to keep creating this past year!!