Welcome to 2020!! Anyone taking bets on how long til I learn to write “2020” on my checks? LOL!
As the new year begins, looking back over the old can have some really valuable lessons to carry forward. While there could be a temptation to kick ourselves for mistakes, regret things done or left undone, or revel in victimhood over events beyond our control….none of those will help us have a better, healthier, or more creative year in 2020! So I’m choosing to look at lessons learned and make some plans to put my feet in motion!
While listening to my ramblings, enjoy a pastel drawing I created recently – it’s available on Society6…if my admonitions in this video inspire YOU to learn from the past and move forward, a little print of this hanging in the studio might remind you to look to the future and not the past. (I am putting this in an auction at church so I’m ordering a print of it myself!)
I LOVE A BIG OLD BLANK
-Sandy Allnock
PIECE OF PAPER.
In the past year I’ve finally gotten to the place where I am not intimidated by blank paper. I used to stare at it and would have to force myself to make the first mark. . . but now a blank sheet makes me anxious to get going! The 40-video project last month made that REALLY clear to me; I was raring to go early each morning, and created 2-3 pieces in a day sometimes! It brought home to me the thought that I have a different perspective when creating a tutorial: I need to consider the supplies and the view of them, the concepts to be taught, the availability of materials, the marketing of it all – and that takes a different mental energy than creating “just because.”
PLAN: Integrate more playtime into my creative life. That means cutting out some “must-do” things here and there and prioritizing my own learning and experimenting.
A new project coming up for 2020 will be part of that – stay tuned for news of it next week!
“MY ART DOES NOT STINK.”
-SANDY ALLNOCK
Yes, even a professional artist goes through the same thought process as a hobbyist! My sinking YT views have been hanging over my shoulder for years now, and the little voice of doubt has been taunting me. “You’ve lost your edge. No one wants to see what you’re doing any more.” GAH! That mental cycle is death to creativity, but I didn’t know how to get OUT of it. Despite lovely feedback from viewers, and encouraging comments on social media and beyond, the doubts were killing me slowly with their lies.
Creating IGTV videos in the last few months has begun to dispel those inner voices – I’ve been garnering thousands MORE views there than on YouTube – despite having less than 1/3 the followers! While on YouTube I could barely scrape together 3% of subscribers to watch – I can get 30% of my Instagram peeps to peek! Hundreds of comments rather than a dozen or two contain gems from people saying they don’t even MIND that it’s not a tutorial, because they learned so much from seeing the process in a compressed time period. YEAH!
PLAN: Create more IGTV videos in 2020, two per week as time allows. Make whatever is inspiring me rather than worrying about all the things that go with tutorials. And stop beating myself up!
SOME ADVICE IS GOOD.
-sandy allnock
SOME…IS JUST BAD!
All advice, whether from professionals or just friends or relatives, has to be weighed against your own goals. Which means that the wisdom to know which to take and which to leave takes some work ahead of time to understand what’s really important to you.
My desire is to help people release their God-given creativity which was planted inside them at birth. I want them to make, in whatever form that takes! Anything I can do to teach and inspire helps me fulfill that goal.
That means that anyone advising me to quack like all the other ducks in the pond are likely giving me generic advice that may not help me reach my goals. Sure it may be good business advice, but it’s advice for someone else who does what I do. It’s not advice to get me to my own desired ends.
My own choices that I make about where I want to go are ones that may limit my success; I’ll never be as ‘big’ as some of my competitors, never have the same standing in the community, or the same opportunities as someone working toward the same goals as everyone else. I choose to sacrifice things that are all about pumping me up; I left the 9-5 world to get out of the game of comparison to peers. Their goals would take me away from what I consider success in my own life: focusing on how I can help others to be creative. I fully trust that if I do what I’m called to do – enough success will follow, and the bills will get paid. So far so good!
PLAN: Out of the advice mentioned in the video, the bits that resonate with who I am called to be: posting a little less on YouTube, more IGTV, and make space in my life for the other good things that will keep me happy, growing, and creative.
How about you?
What did YOU learn in 2019? What positives can you take from even some tough things, that will make you happier, healthier, and more creative? It may take a few days to think about it and make a plan – just because it’s January 1, don’t force decisions on yourself today. Take it seriously, because this could set up 2020 to be your best year yet!
Happy New Year Sandy!
Looking back I thinkthat I learned that I still have to listen better to my own body and crafty wise, I planning to do more Art Journaling/Mixed Media because I love that and do it to little.
Your pastel work is awesome!
Thank you so much and have a great weekend.
Short and sweet comment to this post is: Don’t stop posting your work! I do not typically comment but I enjoy your work and you are my main source of inspiration!
Thanks for sharing ~whatever platform you use~
Sandy, thank you for the pep talk. It is exactly what I need to hear right now.
Thank YOU Sandy for a wonderful year of teaching, inspiration and creativity!
Happy 2020!
My business, although extremely different than yours, has also been super slow this year. I’m not sure why, I’ve had my own business for the last 9 years, am very experienced and proficient at what I do. I’ve been in my field for 40 years. I feel what you’re going through, I’m considering just “retiring”, after all, 40 years is a long time! But I do help people–and those whom I help are “afraid” I’ll retire. I’m working on my plan for the year-not just business–but my word of the year is “Epiphany” and my year of Epiphany starts on Jan 6. I’m working on my Bujo journal plan, starting the new decade with a lovely new journal, working on my plan to cover all aspects of life. I’ve learned this year to not look at numbers specifically–not weight when it comes to health, not money earned for business–but at what makes me happy, if I’m not happy, how can I help make others happy, how can I help, what helps others, what doesn’t, how to connect and be more in tune with the Lord and how to relate to others to help them get in tune with the Lord. Lots of little Epiphany moments! Bless you Sandy for all that you do for all of us!
You are one of my favorite artists. I really like that you don’t do the “you must have this” agenda. I have purchased several of your pieces at Society6, and would love you to pieces if you ever put the Jellyfish on there. Looking forward to watching you in 2020
I have only recently found you as well and I am blown away with your talent. I watch with awe your videos and beautiful creations. The hardest lesson for me in 2019 was staying true to myself when all around were bringing me down. I realized that my true friends will stay with me until the end and those that don’t were never a friend to begin with and glad to have them move on. I’m proud of myself no matter what. Happy New Year and keep on doing what you do because we’re watching!!
Sandy, thank you for not so much for not jumping on the getting the free products and trying to get us to buy all the shiny new products! Did you hear me??? THANK YOU!
Thank you for buying your products and teaching us to use what we have! As a hobby creator I find it all too easy to get caught up in the “I don’t have THAT set of colored pencils, or paints, or whatever…. so I can’t create something until I get it..”, but save up for it and get it and oh, no, now it’s something else I need…. am I a collector or a maker? Use what I have, as I collect supplies that will last and not chase the shiny new is what I count on from you! Also, it is really hard to believe reviews and tutorials of those who get the freebie supplies.
I have seen artist after artist seem to sell out to push the companies that give them free products before others can get them.
Thank you for being real. You are kind of corny at times, and down to earth and funny and serious and laugh at yourself and have a sense of humor (love the stories you create as you do your animal cards!). It is, to me, fresh air in a world of fake perfection.
Your love for God, and the Earth and the people on it come through, and I appreciate that so much.
Anyway, looking forward to the coming year of learning and growing and hoping like crazy Santa gifts me your colored pencil class in 2020!
You are amazing!! Don’t stop doing that thing that you do – I have learned so much from you and your books and videos! God bless!!
Really enjoyed listening to you talk about changes coming up in 2020 – but mostly I loved watching you work with pastels. I’ve really never seen anyone doing anything with that medium – imagine! I don’t think there’s anything about getting an image onto paper that you can’t do! Have a great new year – and stay sane – PLEASE!
YIKES! Your world sounds so complicated. I have just ‘discovered’ you and am loving and greatly appreciating your videos.
Do I need to go somewhere other than Youtube to watch your cardmaking videos?
Thank you for your excellent guidance. I plan to sign up for your courses in future, but right now, my goal is to complete the other courses I am already signed up for. Happy new Year!!
Yep I’m complex, lol! Subscribe here and you generally get all the crafting; I always link to guest posts I do and I try to post about cardmaking igtv too. ❤️