Rose Alike Work in Progress – Coloured Pencil by Belinda Lindhardt

It’s past the middle and towards the end in the creative process when I often take the time to pause. It’s tempting to sign it off as finished tick another thing off the list.. but I “know” whether its done yet or not. “Knowing” is not dialogue its a gut feeling I have learnt to trust my gut and know when I am truly done, only then I can be satisfied and move on.

At the moment I am not done I am pausing to absorb what needs to be done further before I take the next step.
Technically I have sprayed with a few coats of workable fixative, this allows me to seal whats there already (the green was smearing everywhere as I was working) as well as allows me to add more layers particularly on areas where there is quite alot of pencil already. It kinds seems to put a bit of grit onto whats there if that makes sense. I find this spraying process also helps later on when I give some final coats of protective & UV varnish to my work for added protection Some artists I know have had problems with wax of the pencils showing through, but I have never had that problem I think the workable fixative at this points prevents this somewhat.

The is an art to pausing,  I am learning to love it

Pencils, pencils and more pencils

So this past month I have been busy, has it really been over a month? Oh yes it has.

Unbelievable. Anywho, I have been very busy this past month with pencils on the brain though I havent been doing any artwork.
Many of you may be aware I have started a while back the Australian Coloured Pencil network website. The site has been through a few changes and discussions regarding its future during the past year, everyone wants an Australian coloured pencil society but logistics of creating and managing one are somewhat restricted given logistics and location of willing members plus due to the fact that we are still a relatively small group of people.

Next best thing  was a redevelopment of a website, moving the existing site into more of a paid membership site. I would really love to continue providing the service for free, but I am not in the position to be able to provide this at the moment. So the choice was either redevelop or close the site all together.

So I have been busy building a site which contains: a forum, a member gallery, a directory, a membership system, a blog and other stuff to go along with it.
Anyone thinking of creating a website like this, even myself who is an experienced web designer and developer of over 15years has been surprised about just how long it has taken me to do and I am still not there yet! Tweaks, bugs, downloads updates the time to sort some of these out has been much longer than I would have thought. So I know there are a couple of business people reading this,  if you are thinking about this for your business be prepared!! And also be prepared that your web developer would have to charge for their time to sort these out. If  I had been charging for my time it would have been a costly exercise or I most definitely would have lost money – grrrr technical issues.

Now, the site has arrived at a workable stage – I have been so pleased to have the support of existing ACPN members who have supported me in the change over and become members of the site its been fantastic!

Head over to www.colouredpencils.com.au. You can visit the blog or signup for a limted time FREE membership. While I iron out all the bugs!

So that’s what I have been up to. I am glad to have a bit of a breather, still working on it but not as frantically as I have been. I am now able to concentrate on preparing for quite a few exhibitions I have coming up in September and October.  I have an idea for a new artwork but I am debating on whether to tackle it yet or get some other tasks out of the way first.

I have also had lots of inquiries regarding my workshops so I still have on the cards to offer some of my classes or workshops online. I am thinking it maynot be until the new year however? Or maybe in time for Christmas!!! Now there is an idea!

The end of the year will be here before you know it!

During the past few months, I have developed myself a little system for keeping myself on track. Before you roll your eyes at another way to make yourself feel bad for not achieving your goals -  have a think…At the end of the year do you want to feel great about getting all your “stuff” done? Or will you feel bad feeling like you failed ?

It’s really not THAT hard. 3 bullet points!

I am a mum with a young family, artist, business owner, etc etc etc. 6months – to a year is a long time in my little world it flys by so fast, (I am already aware of  Christmas looming, organising birthdays etc it feels like I have only just gotten over all of that) and yet here we are mid year.. how the hell did that happen?
My focus I set at the beginning of the year is  different to now only 6months later, it’s hard managing myself and to keep on track.

My focus changes regularly (but my underlying goal stays the same) -  case in point – 2 months ago,  I was all about my new business direction, don’t get me wrong that is still on my agenda, but in the past 2 months I have had coloured pencil workshops other things that have pulled my focus, so I  have been able to move that goal up a notch to be “an bigger goal” while I deal with a few smaller ones which have become a priority.  (keeping in mind that before I undertake any new projects I make sure that they connect with my goals for the year, I ask msyelf do I really need to be spending time doing this ? does it fit in with my direction of where I really want to go?)

Last year I found I lost focus during the year when I realised it wasn’t working I was trying to coming up with a way of keeping myself in check – I observed that a month is a decent time period for me, it’s long enough for me to have completed some tasks, be able to now move onto something else or continue in order to get something done. Interestingly it’s also long enough for me to have forgotten what I have achieved for the past 4 weeks. (my life is so hectic since my oldest started school this year).

One thing I know about working in a small business and mostly on my own, no one tells you if you are doing a good job.
It’s sooo important that you acknowledge what you have achieved and you give yourself a pat on the back cause its rare that someone does it for you.
It’s something we forget to do, and something you need to do regularly. If you create a system to allow you to do this I think you will be surprised with the results if your not doing this already.

So my little system allows me to Review what i have achieved, Outline the focus for the next month and most importantly Set a goal to have completed by the end of this Month.

So here is what i do.

I start with a word document at top with July Goals in big letters at the top.

(I print out one for each month at the one time so I can just grab one when needed – you would be surprised at how much just being organised like that supports you in keeping on track if you are struggling).
On the page I have 3 bullet points they are the same each month with lots of space in between to write under each one. Points are: (I purposely keep these in words like I am having a conversation with myself).

* How did you go last month?

* What is the focus for this month for business & direction?

* What do you need to have achieved at the end of this month?

That’s it! Its not THAT hard is it?

After I do that i pin it to my cork board next to my desk where I can see it. Periodically I will look at it during the month (without realising it) and remember what my goal is for the month, I have caught myself out a couple of times working on something that was taking up time that wasn’t on my list.

Then at the end of the month I replace it with the new one.
Having the month at the top of the page BIG reminds me that I MUST renew them at the beginning of each month – it forces me to do it. – I also put it in my diary “Business Direction” at the beginning of each month meaning to fill this sheet out.

I file all of my “monthly goals” in a file, that way at the end of the year I can do a review and I won’t have to think back on what I have achieved for the year – I have it there for me!

I have found this works for business / work as well as my personal goals and my art. For my art it can be about finishing a particular artwork or getting my website up to scratch.

So if you are struggling to keep yourself on track perhaps give this a go? Change the questions to suit you but rememeber the last one is important so you actually have something tangible you want to work towards for the end of the month.

p.s. Let me know what you think?

Please help me out and answer 3 questions, please

This will help me improve my website and just find a bit more information about who you and why you come to my site.

Its 3 questions Should take a about 2mins if that, multiple choice it doesn’t get easier than that

> Click here to take survey

Thanks so much

Last Friday – on a very very wet and rainy day I held a Biggest Morning Tea in support of the cancer council and also to celebrate my new business direction for creative hardt.

We raised over $43.90 on the day which is not bad for a small group -
By raising $20- you can help train a volunteer to provide one on one support
for those diagnosed, so I am so happy we were able to do our small bit for this valuable cause.

Well done everyone, Sorry i totally forgot to get a “teapot” photo.

I hope to do it again bigger and better next year! Thankyou again to all who came along and braved the rain!

Photo: Taken from my office one bright and early morning last week.

So this is what a new direction looks like it’s bright, beautiful and exciting, it also looks like early mornings to try fit it into a busy schedule but I am committed and actually loving it .. it’s worth it.

In contrast, a new direction also looks like this (below) – lots of planning and lots and lots and lots of paper! I have identified 3 main areas of my business, where I want it to go, steps to take to get it there and what I have to do and importantly THE END RESULT of what I want it to be.

It’s on the wall so everytime I get distracted or I think of something new or I read something an expert is telling me I should be doing with my business I go over to it and see whether it fits in with my goal. If it does I can write it on my plan on the wall and scribble things out if it no longer applies

It’s hard to stay focused REALLY hard. But i have a plan and trying to stick to it.

Article: Do Art Buyers Care How Art Is Created?

I realized i posted a blog post on this topic the other day, but upon reading it i realized i had posted it too soon (it didn’t read well in parts) though I thought it did at the time (i blame lack of sleep

Anywho, i edited it and posted it to EE as i figured more ppl would read it over there and they have chosen to publish it this week – woo hoo.

Get over there and read it if it interests you

Those of you who follow me on twitter will note my post the other day about sending in forms for a new business name, I know I know  not all of you are into twitter so I thought I better warrant this important event by telling more of you a bit more it about it.

So  yep new business direction and a new name to go with it, am I going to tell you what it is ? Nope sorry,  I am not allowed until I am sure that I can go with that name legally, so you will have to wait

This new step is a bit scary and its also exciting It has taken me a loong while to define this new step and I am still in the process of working out how it is going to work but the fact that I am excited and not procrastinating on it tells me ALOT about the fact that its the right way to go. People often talk about your gut instinct, when they talk about life decisions and this time i am going with my gut.

To my existing design clients and those of you who are on my mailing list, you will be receiving something soon about where I am heading and whats going on just as soon as I get things finalised and in production I will let you know.

Today, I thought I would write a little about life, and why I have been MIA of late.

The reasons for not posting anything much, is mainly for 3 reasons:

1. I have felt like I haven’t much to say, I have felt drained not able to “give” to anything other than one foot in front of the other.
2. I am at a point in my artwork and business where I need to sort out direction, so I feel like I need to work out where to lie my energies.
3. In trying to work out where my direction is, I have been trying not to analyse so much and just DO some artwork work just for the fun of it hoping that eventually I will find out where I want to go.  To be honest I have felt that my time was better spent just doing IT rather than talking about it.

So, as I write this blog post I am not sure I am any further in finding my direction workwise but thanks to some help (yes OMG I had to ask some people for help in a few areas that has been very stressful), I now feel like I have some energy back to at least give back a little and cope a little better.

Why am I telling you all this and why do you really care?

I am not sure to be honest, in one way it makes me feel better (yes being completely selfish here) but ALSO I am sure that I am not the only person to feel this way from time to time and if this is YOU, after reading this, I hope you can come away with the feeling that your not alone, take some time for yourself (AS LONG AS YOU NEED) and if you need to talk about it with friends and family YOU are worth it (and if that is hard for you) do it for those who love you. If that is difficult send me an email, I happy to help, completely non-judgmental and I have a bunch of links that might help !

Artwise I have been forcing myself to forget  about creating a specific or completed artwork, and have tried to get back to  experimenting.

This little ducky I wouldn’t even imagine to attempt to claim ownership of, I saw her in a book my eldest brought home from school which I just loved.  I thought she was so cute just wanted to have an experiment with textures  / colour rather than “thinking” about what to actually draw or concentrating on creating something specific so I just drew her.
The rose above is unfinished as yet, having fun with watercolour, not my usual medium wanted to do something with it for a while and experimenting with watercolour and coloured pencil to speed things up.

Anywho, that’s it for me for now, I have a weekend to myself this weekend and a 4th birthday party to prepare for and thats just about 1/100th of what is on my list, but trying to ignore all that for now taking this as my stress relief for the week ahead.

Take care.

And so comes the 2009 review, reviewing your year  i have been doing these for about 3 years now, just looking back on my old blog I have been blogging since 2006, and here was my first yearly review in 2007.

WOW!  My life has changed so significantly since writing that post, i think even in the midst of writing that things were changing that i probably didnt want to post about on my blog. In reading it again its interesting to note that  some of the things on that list are still my goals for today. It would be easy to go to a negative spirals and  think well, so you havent achieved those things in 4 years, but at the same time I am choosing to look at things this way:

Sometimes your path is not always as straight forward as you think, sometimes you need to take extra steps to get on with your journey, the fact that these goals are still relevant means that they are good important goals ones i need to continue working on, and celebrate just that bit more when finally they are achieved.

The fact that I am able to look at my goals even just from 3years ago, illustrates just how importannt it is to look at yourself through this “third eye” assess whats going on in your life at regular intervals but also its shows that you cant be a slave to your goals things change so do you so you have to move with it they are goals not rules.

What’s most important for me (because i tend to forget to do this ) is to CELEBRATE what you do achieve and not just pass it off as something else you have done, onto the next thing. FEEL GOOD about it! (SOOO hard for me to do).

2009

2009 Has been another big year for me, to be honest the whole year has felt like a long haul, and in starting to write this post I really didn’t think I had achieve a lot on my list.  In looking, I actually realized that so many things on my list at the beginning of the year on my accomplishments without consciously trying to achieve them throughout the year. Which i find amazing its like i must have been on auto pilot and tricking myself into doing them PLUS I have also achieved many other things that weren’t on my list so all in all that is fantastic.

Major achievements & Goals for the year:

- October, coloured pencil workshops : feedback from the workshop was fantastic have 2 more scheduled in June with the CCAS, considering offering smaller personalized workshops from my studio in 2010.

- Became a hosting reseller, steelkey offers hosting to clients, while I am not aiming to sell hosting day to day being able to look after my clients offer this service to my clients is fantastic.

-  Newsletter, while this only recently happened (Dec) my original plan would have seen me have other newsletters throughout the year, but to be honest I just wasn’t ready so glad i achieve this at least once

- Created and  maintained a mailing list for both design and art clients (i didnt have one at the beginning of the year, now i do – its not huge but its a start)

- Network in real life more! – I attended quite a few networking events this year  BMN conference, CCBiZ events, accelerate women, CCAS & art events, had client meetings, and networked with people in my office and at theirs.

- Do one thing at a time – whilst this is a pretty broad statement, what it essentially translates  for me is to  get the task at hand done. Don’t get distracted,  it’s a ongoing discipline I am getting better at.

-Attend  life drawing classes, for a good 6month period I attended life drawing classes often once a week sometimes fortnightly until recently when family commitments meant I couldn’t but this is a fantastic discipline for brain and artistically.

-Help people .. this year I know I have helped lots of people one of those being CCAS, they asked me during the year and I was honored to accept becoming a committee member. I find this commitment (and it is a commitment) rewarding. Providing a service to the community, in a topic i love art.

-Take my boys on a good family holiday. I was so lucky to be able to do this in August, it was the first real holiday i have had in about 10 years, the boys loved it  something we all will remember for a long time

So these are just a few of the goals and achievements for the year, one of the biggest parts for me has been finding my direction, which will be in my second post.