There has never been a sweeter phrase to type than January 2021…leaving 2020 behind us. The last year was difficult for many, intolerable for some and unfortunately, life-altering for others. I think its fair to say that we are all eager to move onto a new year!
I like to begin the year with a word for the year…instead of a resolution, its a touchstone to guide my thoughts and actions…last year, my word was Balance. The explanation for my choice was “to strike a balance between responsibility and freedom…between activity and rest…between experimental approaches and conventional wisdom.” Little did I know how prophetic those words would be.
My word for 2021 is ADAPT…both in a mental sense but also physical in nature as well. The world at large has changed in profound ways…it has become clear that we are a global community and can not exist alone…what each of us does can effect our community for good or for ill. Though the COVID vaccine is being dispensed, it will be a while before we can all gather safely, or travel extensively, or even stop wearing masks. I need to continue to adapt my behaviors and my attitudes to both protect myself and my community and realize that new behaviors require different approaches to everyday living.
The other reason for my ADAPT word choice is a physical one. Over 18 months ago, I injured my back…and have had no shortage of pain and misery, trying to find some relief. I tried several approaches - both traditional and non-traditional to no avail. The difficulty in movement was more than just a pain in the back…I noticed that my desk chair needed a cushion, I could no longer reach the cabinet over the stove and my jeans seemed extra baggy. Finally a spine doctor pinpointed the culprit…severe osteoporosis….which explained the pain…and the fact that I had shrunk two inches in height, due to a compression of my fragile bones.
I begin treatment later this month but I need to adjust; to permanently adapt to my surroundings. I’m not getting back those 2” in height, I’m not hauling anything over 20 lbs, I might need to get a new office chair and I need to rest throughout the day and not be on the go for 12 hours.
All of those things are doable…and crying over what was is not going to change what is. And it doesn’t affect one iota of my ability to create. I took a course offered by Rebecca Sower in late November/early December called Land & Sky…it was a little outside of my comfort zone…it involved paint…which is not my forte. But since I’m tackling other things that are not in my comfort zone, figured I would give it a shot. I learned some new techniques, mostly with creating my own collage papers with a combination of paint and mark-making. A majority of the paper I use in my mixed media collages is vintage ephemera - book pages, maps, wallpaper, old letters and such, supplemented with my photography or vintage photographs. It will be a new ingredient to bring in papers that I create myself and will spur me in a different direction, keeping my creative process evolving.
As the year progresses, I’ll post how my art is adapting…and possibly how my life is adapting to whatever lies ahead. I’d love to hear if you choose a word for the year; feel free to share in the comment section below. Here’s to turning a new page on the calendar and anticipating all that may lie ahead.
