September Resolutions

Everyone uses the New Year celebrations to make resolutions. For me, it has always felt like September was the best time to do that. With the kids going back to school, it’s a good time to reflect back on the summer it was and make some promises for the upcoming months.

My summer this year was A LOT different than 2017. Even though we still are working through some repairs at the house, I didn’t have the crushing fear that everything was going to collapse in on top of me like I did the previous summer. We were able to do some day trips. We rented a boat for a day. We went go carting. We entertained friends and family who were wonderful enough to come and visit. We got a new kitten! All in all, the family time this summer was fantastic.

Work went like gangbusters in June and July, but slowed it’s pace in August. I was able to get caught up on processing my personal projects and also make some new connections and schedule a bunch of work for the coming months. Like I said earlier, this summer was much more in-line with what I had hoped to see last year. Better late than never I guess.

Autumn is my favourite season and I hope to continue to document the area I live in as the leaves change colour and the green rolling hills turn that stunning red/yellow/brown colour palette that I love so much. The light is magnificent this time of year and the more I can be outside, the better! My soul feeds off of it.

I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom and some photos of a trip Dana and I took to the National Gallery of Canada. I love this quote from Henri Matisse:

“What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter, an art for every mental worker, for the businessman as well as the man of letters, for example, a soothing calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.”

Now certainly not all artists feel the need to make art “devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter,” what with all the political, economic and social strife that is rampant in the world today. But I take this quote to heart. I want my art to feel comforting, to connect you with what I was feeling at the time I created it. Like a good blanket and a stiff drink can so often do.

I know I have a long way to go but as I continue to make new art, I hope that I can work towards these goals. These are my resolutions.