Wednesday, January 7, 2015

:2014 rewind:

Time once again to look back before going forward. I had several goals for 2014, some were met, some only partially.

I wanted to have at least one finished art piece for each month, I figured that 12 new pieces in one year wasn't too much to ask, but there was the usual issue of the lack of time allowed to myself after the dayjob and other matters, and half way through the year I took more of that time to attempt to find a better dayjob, and that was unsuccessful, alas. So that's a major part of this year's plans, but I can't let it become my second job. I did get a few pieces done that I'm proud of, one done entirely on my Wacom tablet, something I need to practice on more.



I spent a great deal of time trying to better myself at photography, and going a little crazy using Instagram as well. I used a Holga camera for the first time, without a manual, so I need to track one of those down, but the accidental shots that resulted were actually pretty interesting. I had what I consider to be two successful photoshoots, both involving models with little or no clothing on. The first was outdoors, and that one had many challenges, like getting it done before the sun set and not getting caught by cops. The second was indoors, and I'm still learning about studio lighting, but I feel that I got many good shots out of that one, too. Both were a lot of fun.



I occasionally enter photos into contests on some of the sites that I'm on. I haven't won yet. I feel that I'm good, but I need to figure out how to be great. I also need to submit more art into gallery shows, I was in only one of them in 2014. I of course need to work with more models, but as usual getting it to happen is more difficult than I think it should be, especially when people seem interested in working with me, and then...nothing. I may just have to get a mannequin just so I can practice.

Another goal that I didn't really announce was the attempt to get better photographs of myself, as I am very rarely happy with ones that are taken. I pretty much instantly untag any unflattering (that is, all of them) shot that shows up on Facebook. So I tried to get at least one self-portrait a month, and did it primarily through Instagram. Often it would be done on or near the end of the month, right up until deadline. Unsurprisingly I prefer the shots without my glasses on. I got rid of them in high school and have been forced to wear them again since 2012. Hate 'em. I have my annual eye appointment this upcoming Saturday. Every year I now ask if contact lens technology has improved to the point where I can wear them again.

I took November off from pretty much everything except for writing a novel for NaNoWriMo, which I succeeded in doing from a very vague premise that I had at the beginning of the month. I'm going to revisit it again this month to get it out of first draft mode.


Goals thus far for 2015, which will get refined or added to I'm sure, are once again to produce more artwork, maybe not a new piece each month but hopefully very close. More photography, more work on the tablet. Need to get back to sketching daily again. I've started off the year by doing work only in black & white until springtime. Winter pretty much turns the world gray anyway. So I'm hoping to combat the soul-crushing winter by trying to see the beauty in it.



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